You made me ink | Alessia Russo

The one with the cookie.

"So you're set then, you're gonna go all lezza?" 

Alessia's eyes widened as she glanced at the girls walking in front of them, checking for any signs of them hearing the booming voice of Ella asking her questions. "Will you keep it down!" She hissed at her friend before letting out a small chuckle. She'd been up most of the night going through her thoughts, one half of her brain consumed with her and Ella's earlier conversation, half consumed with the thought that Cairo was currently in the same city as her. "I don't know what I am. But I know I like her. I think i'd be silly not to see what's there, you know?"

Ella nodded as the girls began piling into a coffee shop they'd all planned to have breakfast at. "Nah mate, I get it. Everyone deserves to be loved, it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl or a big green ogre."

Alessia narrowed her eyes as she stared at Ella. "Stop trying to make it happen, Shrek is not fit."

Ella let out a scoff and threw her hands up. "All I'm saying is there's something about him, right? He's big, he's burly, he's-"

"Green, Tooney, he's green. And an ogre. And lives in a swamp."

"Details, details." Ella waved up dismissively, her eyes not moving from a few places in front of them, watching the line ahead. "Less, isn't that her?" She asked as she nodded her head to the front of the line.

Alessia frowned and her eyes skimmed over the people ahead of them before locking onto Cairo who was currently leaning on the counter with one leg crossed over the other. Her back was facing the girls, but Alessia had spent that long admiring the girl at this point she would be able to recognize her by the hand. "Yeah." Alessia whispered out. 

"Cairo! Oi! Cairo!" Ella shouted at, smiling when the girl turned around and smiled at the two as her eyes met a waving Ella and a shocked Alessia. 

Cairo glanced at the staff currently making her order before making her way to the two girls, grin covering her face. "Well if it isn't Manchester's finest." She greeted as she got close to them. 

"Fancy seeing you here, aye?" Ella asked as she leaned in and gave Cairo a quick hug. 

Alessia watched as the two interacted whilst she tried to stop her heart hammering out of her chest. Out of the corner of her eye she could see some of the other girls turning to watch the trio, confusion on their face. Alessia gulped. This was too quick. She was meant to have time. Everybody was going to know. 

It wasn't meant to be this way.

Not yet. 

She could feel her body wanting to run, her fight or flight kicking in and she was choosing flight with every ounce of her body. Saying you're going to do one thing is different when it comes to actually doing it. She was going to talk to Cairo, ask to go slow, give herself time to talk to people. But right now she felt like she was behind the glass at a zoo with everyone looking at her in wonder. She knew they weren't, but it felt like that. 

"You okay, trouble?" Cairo asked Alessia, frowning at the girls lack of conversation. 

"Yeah, I'm good. You?" She replied briefly, barely able to look the girl in front of her in the eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sweet." A silence lulled over the three. One confused at the current cold shoulder she was getting, one confused at her best friends behavior, and one trying trying with everything in her not to break down. 

"Y'alright girls?" The three were greeted with another presence as Katie Zelem joined the three, just having walked into the coffee shop. "Who's your friend?" 

Alessia couldn't control her mouth before it opened. "She did a tattoo for Ella back around camp." 

She didn't need to look at Cairo to see the disappointment in her response, already being able to see the slight drop of her shoulders in her peripheral vision. Instead she chose to look at Ella who was looking at her with surprise. She couldn't take the feeling that she was disappointing everybody already, and instead turned her body to face Katie, unintentionally turning her back towards Cairo who stood there and bit the inside of her cheeks.

"Oh, nice. I'm Katie, nice to meet you." Alessia didn't miss her teammates eyes giving Cairo a once over. She knew the brunette was in a relationship, but right now that look felt like the final nail in the coffin, the final mark of her losing whatever chance she had with the girl now standing behind her. 

"Cairo. Nice to meet you." Cairo replied, politely. "That looks like my order, it was nice to see you all." Her eyes lingered on the blonde girl standing in front of her, willing her to turn around, but she didn't. Instead throwing a small 'bye' over her shoulder.

Cairo walked to the counter and picked up her order, a coffee and a box. Alessia had been here often enough to know they're big 10 inch cookies that you can get messages in. Tears coming to her eyes, hoping with everything she wasn't getting that for her. Praying that she hadn't just treated the girl like shit whilst she had been here getting her a surprise. 

Katie walked away from the two girls, leaving Ella staring at Alessia who was still watching the door. "Less, what the fuck did you just do?"

Sorry for the delay. Got a promotion in work and i've been a busy little b. If you know me, you know i don't do much drama, so don't worry, Less will give her head a wobble soon.