Chapter Text
Eleanor sniffed, her arms crossed.
These flowers were rather distressing to look upon. The blood-red petals of the roses drooped sadly, and weren’t nearly as vibrant or extravagant as the ones she had grown so accustomed to seeing. The ones that grew in her ex-mother-in-law’s garden.
Her wife Rachel smiled at her sheepishly as she leaned against a wall. “You don’t like them, do you?”
Eleanor revelled in the sight of Rachel in her elegant, blue evening gown. It was tight in all the right places with a plunging neckline. Delicate sapphire earrings dangled from her ears, but their beauty paled in comparison to that of their owner.
Rachel’s obsidian black hair was meticulously curled, and her cheeks were a warm pink. Her almond eyes were a deep brown, contemplative and gentle.
She looked absolutely stunning, as usual, and Eleanor felt her chest tighten. Rachel was literally breathtaking.
“I wanted to get you lilies, but the florist didn’t have any,” her wife was rambling fervently as she ran a hand through her perfect hair, disheveling it.
The older woman gave her a bemused look. Her panic was almost endearing. “No, I do not like the flowers.” She admitted begrudgingly as she flashed the sickly flowers a glare of mock-contempt before rolling her eyes.
Rachel let out a short bark of a laugh, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “I know you too well, whenever you don’t like something you just stare at it for a whole minute.” Did she really? It was likely, considering Rachel’s deductions were nearly always correct.
The professor gently put her hand on Eleanor’s waist, pulling her close. An opulent emerald green ring shone on her finger.
Eleanor draped an arm around Rachel in return, feeling the warmth of the other woman’s body against hers. She could stand here forever like this and be perfectly happy.
“Rachel Chu, your flowers are terrible. You however, are not.” She leaned into Rachel, gently kissing her on the cheek. Eleanor adored the way Rachel smelled, like rain and orchids. Her lips left behind a faint red mark. Chanel, of course.
“Hm, sounds like you’re getting soft, Eleanor,” Rachel mused, giving her a dazzling smile. “I love you too.”
“Of course.” Eleanor couldn’t help quirking her lips in amusement. Rachel’s cheeky grins were infectious, which was highly unfortunate for the older woman, it meant the deepening of the lines around her eyes.
Her wife suddenly ducked her head and her gaze dropped down at the ground for a moment, as if she had to compose her thoughts before speaking.
“So.” It was obvious Rachel was trying to sounds nonchalant, but Eleanor could sense her unease, from the way she bit her lip, the barely visible crease between her eyebrows.
Nothing good could come next if Rachel, perpetually overflowing with confidence, was so tense. “W-When will you be meeting my mom?”
The world might as well have shattered with these words, and the older woman inhaled sharply.
She has spent the last eleven months trying to avoid this conversation. Perhaps she could delay it further. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, lah. ” Eleanor said dryly. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that she isn’t a fan of me. We can do that later.”
“But she gave us her blessing,” Rachel pointed out. “If she really hated you then she wouldn’t have done that. Anyways, you’re going to have to see her eventually. Better now than later.” She smirked in self-satisfaction at Eleanor. Her argument was ironclad, and she knew it, as her eyes glittered with triumph.
Alamak , Eleanor really wouldn’t be able to talk her way out of this. Rachel had evidently made up her mind, and the older woman didn’t really want to debate her on this matter.
So she let out a sigh. Good heavens, Eleanor was going to regret this, she could feel it.
But it was for Rachel.
“You’re her daughter and she loves you, of course she gave her blessing.” Eleanor couldn’t help saying, arching an eyebrow as if to say “could-it-be-more-obvious.”
At least Kerry clearly cared about the wellbeing of Rachel, but that was where the similarities between the two women ended.
Eleanor decided to would be imprudent to mention the fact that Kerry Chu had called her a conniving snake the last time they talked over the phone.
“But do what you must,” she relented, her voice strained. “If this is something you think must happen now, we’ll go.” Rachel’s hair was slightly tousled, and Eleanor reached out to tuck her few unruly strands of hair back into place, feathery soft wisps sliding through her fingers.
“We’ve been married for almost a year, I think it’s time,” Rachel insisted, cupping the older woman’s jaw. Her hand was soft, warm, and this placated Eleanor’s nerves for a moment. Only a moment, sadly. “And I’ll make sure she’ll be nice.”
Eleanor so desperately wanted to say that this was a bad idea. She hadn’t felt this kan cheong, this nervous, since she had met Philip’s mother, Su-Yi. Eleanor had been so wide-eyed and naive then. She remembered all too well when she was face to face with-
This was nothing like that, she told herself furiously.
Because this time, she married for love. Not money.
They flew first-class, of course. Economy class was downright miserable.
Eleanor looked out the window as she absently sipped her champagne. The white wisps of clouds were gold when the sun shined through them, and the sky was pink with streaks of orange.
None of this interested her though, when you were wealthy, it was a rare occurence to be awestruck of anything.
Rachel however, seemed to completely disregard these unspoken truths and was constantly surprising Eleanor. How she did this exactly would always be a mystery.
She snuck a glance at her wife, who was curled up on a bed to her left, dark hair splayed across the cream silken sheets. Her chest rose and fell, and she let out quiet sighs as she slept. Peacefully, no doubt.
Eleanor wish she could say her mind was as unperturbed as Rachel’s. However, it wasn’t.