Chapter 7

TÉLYN AND PAIGE HAD WOKEN UP the same way for the past six years. Paige would shake Télyn’s shoulder until she stirred, eyes still closed. The shaking would grow more persistent, irritating the hell out of her. Eventually, Télyn would wake fully and swat Paige with her pillow, because once she was up for the day, there was no going back to sleep.

Today was no different, except Télyn had just gone to bed three hours ago. A night owl by nature, she’d spent most of the night drafting documents while Paige and Juni slept, leaving no one to bother her with mundane things. She didn’t know the science behind it, but her mind worked best in those quiet hours before dawn.

Paige didn’t seem to care that Télyn needed her “beauty sleep.” She’d always said that Télyn was the most beautiful lady in the world, to which Télyn would reply that she still needed her sleep anyway.

Paige, of course, never agreed.

“Get up,” Paige muttered, giving her shoulder another shake.

Télyn shifted slightly, closer to the edge of the bed. She had been trying to catch up on four years’ worth of sleep in only one month, and Paige was doing her absolute best to make sure that never actually happened.

Paige leaned closer, pressing a kiss to Télyn’s temple. “Wakey, wakey.”

Télyn groaned this time, swatting at Paige’s face.

“Té Té,” Paige said softly, shaking her shoulder again. “Wake up. I’m bored.”

Télyn turned onto her stomach, smooshing her face into the pillow. Paige grabbed her shoulder and turned her onto her side.

“No sleeping on your stomach,” Paige whispered. “Not good for the baby.”

“Shut up,” Télyn grumbled, voice thick with sleep. She squeezed her eyes shut, because once they opened it was over.

Paige shook her shoulder one more time, and it was enough for Télyn to turn on her side. Paige waited for the inevitable pillow swing, but it never came.

Télyn flipped onto her back, eyes flickering open. She grabbed the edge of Paige’s sleeve instead of a pillow, holding on loosely.

Paige blinked. “Where’s my pillow?”

Télyn didn’t answer. She just pulled Paige closer by the sleeve until their faces were inches apart.

“Paige,” she said sternly, barely above a whisper. “I’m tired. Please let me sleep. I’m begging.”

The crooked smile that formed on Paige’s lips made Télyn regret her life choices immediately.

“Don’t tell me that,” Paige said. “I like it when you beg.”

Télyn exhaled sharply through her nose. “Shut up.”

She pushed at Paige’s shoulder, finally getting enough leverage to shove her back onto the mattress.

Paige landed easily, unbothered, still smiling like she’d won something.

Télyn rolled onto her stomach, tucking her hands underneath her pillow. “I’m going back to sleep,” she whispered. “Don’t wake me up. Don’t touch me. Don’t do anything.”

Paige tilted her head, staring at the back of Télyn’s. “No promises.”

Télyn made a small, exhausted sound of pure defeat and closed her eyes again.

Only five minutes had passed before she rolled onto her back, pushing the covers back with an exaggerated sigh. Paige sat against the headboard, smiling at Télyn because this routine was all too familiar.

“Fuck you,” Télyn muttered, grabbing her glasses from the nightstand. She checked the time on her phone. “Eight o’clock in the fucking morning. Paige Madison, you have lost your fucking mind.”

“The early bird gets the worm.” Paige pushed her side of the covers back and moved to the foot of the bed. She grabbed Télyn’s ankle, pulling her toward her.

Télyn immediately yanked her leg back. “Don’t start.”

Paige didn’t let go.

Télyn squinted at her through her glasses, utterly unimpressed. “Let me go before I kick you in the face.”

Paige gripped Télyn’s ankle, tickling her foot. Télyn tossed in the bed, immediately trying to yank her leg free. If there was one thing she hated, it was being tickled.

“Paige, let me the fuck go,” Télyn snapped, her voice breaking as she tried to keep it together.

Paige didn’t listen. She tickled her again.

Télyn jerked, laughter spilling out of her despite herself as she twisted across the bed. “Stop—”

“You don’t sound convincing,” Paige said, completely unfazed.

“I will kick you,” Télyn warned, already half-laughing.

“Do it,” Paige challenged.

That was a mistake.

Télyn managed to yank her leg back just enough to aim, pushing at Paige with her foot in a weak, uncoordinated attempt to follow through. It lacked any real force, but the intent was there.

Paige caught her ankle again before she could try a second time.

“Violent,” Paige noted.

“You started it,” Télyn shot back.

Paige grinned and tickled her again.

Télyn practically folded in on herself, grabbing blindly for anything she could reach. Her hand caught Paige’s wrist, clinging to it as she laughed, completely giving up any illusion of dignity.

“Okay—okay, stop. Paige, please—”

Paige paused immediately.

Télyn froze too, catching her breath, eyes narrowing the second she realized what had just worked.

“You’re annoying,” she muttered.

Paige shrugged lightly. “You said please.”

Télyn dropped back onto the mattress with a groan. “I’m going to take a shower.”

“No,” Paige said immediately. “You always use all the hot water.”

Télyn stood from the bed and made her way into the bathroom. “Too bad. You shouldn’t have woken me up.”

Paige groaned, following her. “Wait, let me shower first. I’ll be quick.”

Télyn ignored her, replacing her bonnet with her shower cap. She turned to Paige with narrowed eyes. “It’s wash day for you.”

Paige hummed. “So?”

“So…” Télyn undressed, throwing her clothes in the laundry basket. “You won’t be quick. You cannot trick me.”

Paige leaned against the counter as Télyn turned on the shower. Télyn barely regarded her as she moved around the bathroom, grabbing four towels from the closet and the shampoo and conditioner Paige used. She set two of the towels next to Paige before opening the shower door and stepping in.

“Té, please don’t take all day,” Paige said. “My hair is greasy, and I need to wash it.”

Télyn glanced at her through the glass door. She beckoned her over with her hand. “Come on before I change my mind.”

Paige chuckled. Slowly and seductively, her gaze slid downward. Télyn had gone through her second puberty a few years ago, and it had done her more good than bad. Her body had gone through changes, subtle at first, then undeniable. Softer in some places, fuller in others, like her body had finally settled into itself. It wasn’t just physical, though. There was a confidence to her now, something quieter and more assured than it had been years ago.

Paige took her time looking.

Télyn rolled her eyes, reaching over to adjust the temperature. “Do you actually wanna do this or not?”

Paige held her hands up defensively. “I can’t admire my wife?”

“No,” Télyn said firmly. “Get your ass over here.”

“So bossy,” Paige grumbled, but she was already removing her clothes. She opened the shower door, slipping a hand lightly along Télyn’s waist as she stepped inside. Télyn turned them around, and as soon as the water hit Paige’s back, she hissed. “Shit! Why the fuck is the water so hot?”

“Hot?” Télyn echoed, her amusement barely contained. “I turned it down for you!”

“It’s too hot.” Paige moved behind Télyn while she adjusted the temperature. “It feels like I’m in hell.”

Télyn let out a quiet laugh under her breath as she twisted the knob. “Stop being so dramatic.”

“I’m serious,” Paige muttered, shaking her hands out like that would somehow help. “My skin is burning off as we speak.”

“It’s not,” Télyn said, glancing back at her. “You’re fine.”

Paige pressed up behind her anyway, seeking cover from the direct stream while the temperature shifted. “My skin is literally red.”

“Are you just going to complain?” Télyn retorted. “My showers are usually peaceful. I don’t need you talking my ear off.”

Paige huffed, but her hands settled at Télyn’s waist again, thumbs brushing absent circles against her skin. The water cooled slightly, steam still thick around them, but no longer unbearable.

“Okay,” Paige admitted after a second. “That’s better.”

“Exactly,” Télyn said, satisfied.

Paige leaned in, resting her chin lightly on Télyn’s shoulder. “We don’t have anywhere to be right now.”

Télyn huffed softly, already knowing where this was going.

“Paige, you are literally about to piss me off.” Télyn moved forward, creating space between them. She grabbed her washcloth and soap and lathered it. “We’re in here to do our business, and that’s it.”

The fact that Télyn had even let Paige in during her shower time just showed how much she loved her. There were only three things that were nonnegotiable when it came to having time to herself: her nail appointments, her shopping sprees, and her shower time.

“Fine,” Paige grumbled. She knew Télyn wasn’t in the mood; her baby was not a morning person at all. Paige was Elmo and Télyn was Oscar the Grouch, but they loved each other in that strange, perfectly balanced way that somehow made it work.

Télyn ran the washcloth up her arm, slow and methodical. The steam wrapped around her, thick and quiet, and for a second it almost felt like Paige wasn’t there at all.

Almost.

Paige stayed where she was, giving her that space, for once actually trying. She reached for her shampoo, working it into her hair without commentary, without wandering hands, without pushing.

It lasted a whole thirty seconds.

“What are we doing today?” Paige asked.

Télyn didn’t even look at her. “Bro.”

Paige shrugged. “Might as well go over our itinerary. You know… since we’re both here.”

“This is why we can never do anything nice,” Télyn said, deadpan. She was over this day already. “I’m getting out.”

Paige blinked. “Stop being dramatic.”

“You woke me up after three hours of sleep,” Télyn said. “Now you want to schedule my day while I’m washing my ass?”

Paige didn’t say anything. She held her head under the water, massaging the shampoo into her scalp.

Télyn huffed lightly. She’d been working on her irritability… trying, at least. Her patience still ran thin, especially this early in the morning, but she was getting better at catching it before it turned into something unfair.

Paige didn’t deserve that. Télyn loved her too much to let a bad mood spill over like that.

“I’m sorry,” Télyn said quietly.

Paige glanced at her, a little surprised, but she didn’t say anything.

“Juni’s going to a birthday party with Consuela and Marcel. We have to go to the mall to pick her out some shoes for basketball while she’s gone. Consuela’s making dinner at the house tonight, and Saphy’s coming over. Nothing too crazy.”

Paige hummed. “Don’t you have therapy today?”

“Tuesday,” Télyn confirmed.

“Did you do your homework?”

“Nope.”

“Are you going to?”

“Nope.”

Télyn learned that homework didn’t stop after graduating. Her therapist gave her assignments every week, all of which felt like targeted attacks on her personality.

“What are you supposed to do?” Paige asked.

Télyn rolled her eyes, just thinking about it. She would rather suck a jean jacket through a straw than do that. “She wants me to reach out to someone I haven’t talked to in a while. Someone I’m not on good terms with.”

“Jojo,” Paige said immediately. She was the only person Paige could think of that Télyn’s stubborn self would even consider.

Télyn shot her a look. “Don’t say her name in this house. Only Juni’s allowed to.”

Paige laughed out loud, grabbing her conditioner. “Okay, but that’s who you’re gonna call, right?”

“I’m not calling anyone.” Télyn knew she was being stubborn. She knew it the second the words left her mouth. “Homework isn’t mandatory.”

“But it’ll be helpful,” Paige said. “You two are sisters.”

“Step sisters,” Télyn corrected. “And barely that. The only reason we need to speak is if it involves Juniper. Other than that, I don’t have shit to say to her.”

Télyn turned back to the water, like she was done with the conversation. Paige wasn’t going for that. She never was.

“Té don’t be like that. The shit y’all went through was years ago. You’ve grown a lot since then. I’m sure Jojo has too.”

Télyn didn’t answer at first, but she was thinking about it. Jojo had been with her through a lot, but she would never… could never forgive her for what she had done. To an outsider, it was such a trivial thing, but to someone who had feelings as big as Télyn, it was like being cracked open and expected to act like nothing spilled out.

Télyn’s grip tightened slightly on the washcloth as the thought settled in, heavier than she wanted to admit.

To anyone else, it probably was small. Something that could be brushed off, laughed about years later, turned into a story instead of a wound.

But that wasn’t how she worked.

When Télyn felt something, she felt it all the way through, no halfway, no dimming it down to make it easier to carry. And when it broke, it didn’t just chip. It split.

“I don’t really care,” Télyn said. “We put hands on each other. There’s no coming back from that.” She turned around to face Paige. “Fuck her.”

Paige’s eyes softened. She knew Télyn didn’t want to talk to Jojo, but if Paige said jump, Télyn never hesitated to ask how high.

“Okay then. I don’t want you to feel pressured to do something you don’t want to do,” Paige said.

Télyn nodded. “Thank you.”

“But…” Paige dragged, and Télyn sighed. There was always a damn ‘but.’ “If your therapist thinks this will help you, then maybe she’s right.”

“She doesn’t know all my lore,” Télyn said. “If she did, she’d be on my side.”

Paige chuckled, finding the whole situation amusing. She had seen the progress Télyn had been making with her therapist, but there was still a version of her that dug her heels in the second something felt too close to old hurt.

Paige didn’t say that out loud.

She just watched her for a second, head tilted slightly, like she was piecing something together instead of arguing.

“You think her job is to be on your side?” Paige asked.

Télyn frowned. “Yes.”

Paige smiled a little. “No.”

Télyn kissed her teeth. “Then what am I paying her for?”

“To help you,” Paige said gently. “Not agree with everything you say.”

“I hate when you’re not on my side,” Télyn admitted. The thing about partnership, unfortunately, was that they didn’t always see eye to eye.

Paige huffed a small laugh at that. “I am on your side.”

“Doesn’t feel like it,” Télyn muttered, turning back under the water.

Paige stepped closer again, not crowding her, but just enough that her voice didn’t get lost in the shower. “Being on your side doesn’t mean agreeing with everything you say.”

One thing on the list of things Paige found oddly comedic about Télyn was the fact that she got upset whenever Paige didn’t automatically jump to agree with her. Not in a dramatic way, either. It was quieter than that; little shifts in her tone, the way she’d shut down just a bit, like disagreement felt more personal than it actually was.

Paige had learned that early.

Télyn scrubbed her leg a little harder than necessary. “It kinda does, actually.”

“No,” Paige said simply. “It means I care about what happens to you. Your therapist only wants to help you, Té. Her disagreeing with you doesn’t mean you’re wrong. Two things can be true at once.”

Télyn rolled her eyes, upset at how true that was. She was too stubborn to admit it though. “Whatever,” she muttered.

Paige laughed out loud. She also found it hilarious whenever Télyn would fold like that, simply because she couldn’t admit when anyone other than herself was right.

“I love you,” Paige sang, running a brush through her hair.

Télyn smiled despite herself. “Yeah, yeah.”

Télyn sat on the shower bench while Paige washed the conditioner out of her hair. For her to enjoy her alone time in the shower, she found it oddly peaceful being trapped in this steam bubble with Paige.

Paige rinsed out the last of her conditioner then turned to Télyn. “Come here.”

Télyn frowned. “For what?”

“Just come here.”

Suspicious, Télyn stood up anyway, stepping closer. Paige didn’t say anything else, just reached out, hands gentle as they settled at Télyn’s waist again, pulling her in.

This time, Télyn didn’t resist.

Paige pressed a quick kiss to her shoulder, then another, slower one just beneath it.

“No funny shit,” Télyn warned, but her voice had lost most of its edge.

“I know,” Paige said quietly. “Just… stay here for a second.”

Télyn huffed softly, but she stayed.

The water ran over both of them, warm and steady, steam curling around their bodies.

After a moment, Télyn leaned back into her slightly. “Five minutes,” she muttered.

Paige smiled against her skin. “Fine.”

Télyn didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but soon she was shivering and her fingers were pruney. Her skin would hate her forever for taking such hot showers when it was already dry as hell. She was single handedly keeping Aveeno in business with the way she drowned her skin in lotion every day.

By the time Paige had finished blow drying her hair, Télyn was laid out across the loveseat in the corner of their bedroom, aimlessly browsing through the streaming services Kiki paid for.

Paige stood quietly in the bedroom doorway, taking in the sight of her.

This was the woman she’d choose every day for the rest of her life. The one she’d celebrate the small wins and the hard losses with. The one she’d already said yes to, and would say it again, a million times over, without hesitation.

The corner of Paige’s mouth lifted when Télyn’s eyes squinted as she read the description of some new crime show. Even in leisure mode, she still had the scowl like the world was personally inconveniencing her.

Paige’s smile deepened, quiet and fond. It never really left, that look. Even now, half distracted and sunk into the cushions, Télyn carried that same edge, brows pulled, lips pressed just slightly, like she was already unimpressed with whatever came next.

It made the softer moments stand out more.

The way her nose scrunched when something actually made her laugh. The way her face relaxed when she wasn’t thinking too hard. The way she’d glance over, just to make sure Paige was still there.

Paige pushed off the doorway slowly, stepping into the room.

“Find anything you like?” she asked.

Télyn shook her head. “No. I think I’ll just watch SVU for the thousandth time.”

Paige reached down to nudge her leg out of the way so she could sit. She settled beside her, her arm draping along the back of the loveseat.

“I can’t even remember the last time I watched TV,” Télyn said, automatically leaning into her. Whenever she turned on the television, it was usually for background noise while she focused on other tasks, like scrolling on her phone. “I’ll just put on Bob’s Burgers or something.”

“You don’t watch that,” Paige said, matter-of-factly.

Télyn nodded. “I know. I just put it on when I’m alone. It’s kinda like having people around.”

“Because that makes perfect sense.” The sarcasm laced in Paige’s tone was hard to miss. Télyn rolled her eyes, selecting a random episode and pulling out her phone. Paige glanced at her. “Might as well turn the TV off.”

Télyn shook her head. “You’re leaving.”

Paige’s eyebrow raised. “So?”

“And Juni’s sleeping,” Télyn added.

“So?”

“So… I need noise. I got so used to it, now I can’t be without it.” Télyn laughed, just thinking about how un-Télyn that was. “Crazy, ’cause I used to need complete silence to function.”

Télyn said it so casually; it rolled off her back like it didn’t mean anything. Like it was just a random observation instead of something that said a lot more than she probably realized.

Paige smiled because that meant so much to her.

“I’ll be back soon,” Paige said casually.

Télyn nodded, fingers sliding across the screen as she played some dumb game Juni had her hooked on. “Okay” she said, distracted.

Paige looked at her. “Okay? All I get is an okay?”

“Yeah,” Télyn said, moving her finger faster. “I’ll see you later.”

Paige frowned. “I don’t get a kiss? A hug? Nothing?”

Télyn didn’t even look up from her phone. “You’re doing a lot right now.”

Paige crossed her arms, unimpressed. “I’m asking for basic affection.”

“You’ll live,” Télyn muttered, still tapping at her screen.

Paige stared at her for a second longer, waiting.

“…Wow,” Paige said.

Télyn sighed, finally pausing her game. She tilted her head back against the loveseat, looking up at Paige like she was being inconvenienced. “Come here.”

“That’s more like it,” Paige said, stepping closer.

Télyn reached for her hoodie, tugging her down just enough to press a quick kiss to her lips. It was short, barely there, but intentional.

“Happy?” Télyn asked.

Paige didn’t move back right away. “No.”

Télyn squinted at her. “Oh my God.”

Paige leaned in again, slower this time, like she was correcting something. Her hand came up to cup Télyn’s jaw, tilting her face just slightly as she kissed her properly.

Télyn made a small sound of annoyance into it, but she didn’t pull away.

When Paige finally leaned back, she smiled. “Now I am.”

Télyn wiped at her mouth dramatically. “You’re so extra.”

“And you love me,” Paige said as she moved towards the door. “I love you too.”

Télyn rolled her eyes, already picking her phone up. “I love you. Drive safe.”

Paige’s voice carried up the stairs. “Don’t I always?”

Télyn waited until the front door slammed shut before she went to wake Juni up. Just like her big sister, she wasn’t a morning person. And while Juni could give Paige a run for her money with how dramatic she got about waking up, Télyn didn’t really have time for negotiations.

She knocked once on Juni’s door and opened it. She flipped the light on and made her way to Juni’s bed. Télyn pulled the cover back and grabbed Juni’s pillow from the other side of her, gently hitting her with it.

“Get up, Potato,” she said.

A small groan came from under the blanket.

“Mommy Bluey, I’m still tired,” Juni said.

Télyn stood there for a second, unbothered. “If I have to say it twice, it won’t be nice.”

Juni peeked out, face already scrunched up. “Is P here?”

“No,” Télyn said. “And she’s not coming to save you.”

Juni groaned again, slowly dragging herself upright. Because she had learned something very important very quickly:

Paige was the only one who could talk Télyn into things. And when Paige wasn’t there to step in and soften her, Télyn didn’t budge.

So Juni got up. The system would not work in her favor today.

“Bathroom,” Télyn said, pointing to Juni’s en-suite. She moved toward the closet instead, already picking out an outfit. “You know what to do.”

Juni waited until Télyn was out of sight before she rolled her eyes. She knew better than to do it to her face.

Télyn didn’t need to see it anyway.

She could just feel when Juni was testing her luck, and Juni wasn’t in the mood to lose privileges before breakfast.

“Lose the attitude, Juniper,” Télyn said without looking back.

“Ugh!” Juni groaned.

The morning went smoothly, just like it always did when it was just the two of them. Télyn got her dressed, fed her breakfast, and now it was time for hair. Juni had a head full of curls, so styling it always took up most of their time.

Juni sat on the stool in front of the mirror, making silly faces at her reflection while Télyn smiled faintly and carefully parted her hair down the middle.

Juni kicked her feet against the stool lightly, watching Télyn in the mirror. “Are we doing the puffs or the braids today?”

“Braids,” Télyn said, already sectioning the first part carefully.

Juni sighed. “I like the puffs.”

“I know,” Télyn replied. “But braids will last longer until I can give you a different style.”

Juni tilted her head back to look at her. “Can I have barrettes?”

“Yeah,” Télyn said, gently guiding her head forward again.

“Blue ones,” Juni added. “They match my outfit.”

Télyn nodded. “Of course.”

The bathroom settled into a comfortable quiet, filled only with the soft mist of the spray bottle and the faint rhythm of Juni’s feet tapping against the cabinet.

“Are you and P going to the party with me?” Juni asked, making eye contact with Télyn through the mirror.

Télyn looked at her sister with sad eyes. “Not this time. But Consuela and Marcel will be with you, and you’ll have so much fun.”

Juni frowned immediately. “I don’t have fun when you’re not there. And Marcel is a meany, I won’t have any fun with him.”

Télyn pressed her lips together, fighting a laugh. She cleared her throat, pulling herself together. “There will be kids your age. You can play with them. Amelia will be there, her mom told me. You like her.”

Juni nodded slowly. “I like Amelia.”

“There you go,” Télyn said gently, wrapping a rubber band around the barrette.

“But I still want you to come,” Juni added, quieter this time.

Télyn’s hands slowed for a second.

“I know,” she said.

Juni looked at her through the mirror. “Why can’t you come?”

Télyn exhaled softly, choosing her words wisely. “It’s your party, Juniper. I can’t always be right next to you. But that doesn’t mean I’m not there with you.”

Juni nodded, not fully understanding but listening anyway.

“I’ll always come back for you, Juniper,” Télyn said softly. “You’re my first baby.”

Juni giggled. “I’m your only baby, silly.”

Télyn huffed a quiet laugh through her nose, shaking her head as she tightened the last braid.

“All done,” she said.

Juni immediately reached up to touch her braids, then turned her head side to side, inspecting herself from every angle.

“I look like Amelia now,” she declared proudly.

Télyn laughed. “You both look nice.”

Juni slid off the stool, landing with a little bounce. “Can I show P when she comes back?”

“Yeah,” Télyn said, stacking the hair supplies back into their place. “She’ll like it.”

Juni paused. “She’ll say I look pretty.”

Télyn glanced at her. “She always does.”

That seemed to satisfy her. Juni grabbed Télyn’s hand without thinking as they walked out of the bathroom.

And Télyn, just as automatically, held on.