This Lawless Love [wlw]

Chapter Six: Rebel and Refinery

"Ms. Antonik!" Almenira called to alert the woman she was approaching. Claudia glanced at the beaming girl and paused the light mist from the hose that was showering a bed of chrysanthemums.

"Back to that, are we, Dear?" She teased, returning a sly smile. All her smiles tended to look sly.

"Habit." Almenira said sheepishly, finally coming face to face with the object of her affections (and surveillance)

Realizing she probably looked dopey studying Claudia's face, she quickly got to the reason for her impromptu visit.

"Uh, I was wondering if you had a can opener?" She asked, waving the can of pears in the air.

"I do. Come in, dear."

Oh.

Almenira has never actually been inside of Claudia's house. Their interactions were limited to leaning against the other's fence or idly standing on the front yard when they both happened to be passing outside.

Expecting nothing less from someone like Claudia, Almenira was unsurprised to see a pristinely kept residence.

The spotless floors were a charcoal colored wood that glimmered from a coating of wax and to compliment it, Claudia had white and creams for nearly everything, save her other wooden furniture which matched the charcoal.

If anything, it looked like Almenira was sucked into an IKEA catalog.

"You look like you hate it." Spoke Claudia, emerging from a doorless room a little further down the hallway Almenira stood awed in.

The young girl jumped, head snapping away from the spacious black-white themed living room and focusing on the woman who stood amused with a can opener in hand.

"Uh- what? No! It's-"

A chuckle tumbled from Claudia's rosy lips as she stepped forward to lightly pinch Almenira's cheek, a habit she seems to have picked up which left Almenira unsure of whether to ooze at the affection or try harder to not be seen as a child.

"I must stop teasing you."

"Oh no- I knew. It's very...clean."

Claudia raised an eyebrow at her, mouth tugging slightly.

Almenira always wondered if she was a natural blonde. Her near bleach blonde hair looked natural enough and there were no discolored roots to say otherwise but her eyebrows were a brown that warranted her suspicion.

The only way to find out, she thought, is to see if her curtains match the drapes.

But seeing how things are going with her unrequited crush, there were easier ways to get the truth.

"Are you a natural blonde?" She blurted, forcing herself to ignore the upcoming cringe that was shaming her.

Claudia's eyebrows rose for a split second, caught off guard

"Yes." She said simply, crossing Almenira's right to enter her living room.

Settling between a row of throw pillows, Claudia gazed at Almenira expectantly while the girl gazed awkwardly back.

"How have you been, dear? We haven't spoken in a while."

"Oh uhm, I've been doing well. The semester just finished and..." here's her chance, "and funny thing... my professor just quit out of nowhere."

Almenira kept her eyes trained on Claudia's facial expressions but the woman didn't blink.

"Sit down, why don't you? You're not a stranger." She suddenly broke the eye contact she held with Almenira and patted the cushion next to her.