*All characters in this story are over the age of 18, consenting, legal adults.*
**This story contains bisexual characters who share pleasure with individuals of multiple genders.**
Betty turned the corner and strolled slowly down the aisle. She glanced at the titles on the shelf, only vaguely perceiving them. She wasn't exactly lost, but her mind was drifting, focused on nothing in particular. She'd come to Odyssey Bookstore without putting much thought into it, almost out of habit more than active choice. Years ago, she thought of it as her happy place, especially when Dylan was growing up. It was a place they could go together to keep occupied for several hours at a time.
She'd let him roam about the store as he wished, checking in on him periodically, but generally giving him the space to explore. He didn't always ask her to buy something, and if he did, it usually wasn't that expensive. And of course, she could pretty consistently find a book to add to her own collection.
She wasn't looking for anything in particular today, just aimlessly browsing. Truthfully, she felt a bit aimless in general if she gave it much thought. Taking care of her dad wasn't actually all that difficult. He didn't need a lot of attention and keeping the house clean didn't require that much time out of her day. And yet, it seemed to take a lot out of her. More and more, she was finding herself drained mentally. Her spirit wasn't quite as bright as it normally was, though she might not have been able to voice it in those terms. She just knew that she was feeling... blah.
Her drifting was interrupted by a voice behind her, "Who is THAT sexy girl?"
Betty had the brightest smile on her face when she whirled around, "LIV!!" Olivia threw her arms around Betty. The two women clung fiercely to one another, holding their embrace for a wonderfully long time.
"I've missed you... SO MUCH."
"So so much." Their eyes were glistening when they pulled apart, still holding hands. "You look amazing, Babe."
"You look great, too." They stared at each other then hugged once more.
"I got so happy when you asked if we could hang out today."
"I'm happy too... Believe it or not, it was Dylan's idea."
"Really now?"
"Request for his birthday in fact. He asked me to stay away from the house for a full twenty-four hours. Said he'd take care of Dad and I wouldn't have anything to worry about."
"YOU, Honey, have a pretty sweet kid."
"I really do. Only... He's not a kid anymore. He's a full-grown man."
Liv shook her head, "Hard to believe."
"Don't I know it?"
"How IS your dad doing?"
Betty sighed, "He's... He's OK. He just doesn't... have very much. Since Mom's gone, he's kinda just... there most of the time."
There was genuine empathy and understanding in Liv's expression, "I'm sorry, Hon."
Betty nodded and whispered, "Thank you."
Liv's face brightened after a beat, "So... a full twenty-four hours, huh?"
"Yep. I gave him my word."
"Hmmm... Sounds to me like we're gonna have a girl's night!"
Betty tilted her head to the side, "Bill's gonna be all right with you being gone too long?"
Liv took a heavy breath, "Bill's... not in the picture anymore."
"Oh!" Betty was surprised, and part of her felt she should apologize. Sorry seemed like the proper thing to say... but she couldn't quite bring herself to. Instead, she just repeated, "Oh."
"Do you want to get something to eat?"
"I would absolutely love that."
*****
They opted for an Italian restaurant in the same shopping center as the bookstore. It wasn't busy in the early afternoon, not like it would be later that evening. Their server was quick to bring out their plates of pasta.
Liv was already getting into her explanation, "A lot of the time... most of the time... Bill wasn't even critical. He wouldn't say anything. I did something he didn't like and he'd ignore me like I wasn't even there. The silent treatment he would give me when he was mad was so loud... Deafeningly loud sometimes. He'd ignore me for a day or more to punish me... until he wanted something from me. Then he'd go right back to normal like it never even happened."
Betty reached across the tabletop to hold the other woman's hand, "Oh Sweetie." She'd known things between Olivia and Bill weren't good. It wasn't even remotely a healthy relationship, but this was the first time Liv ever spoke so openly about their problems.
"I felt like I was going crazy sometimes, wondering if I'd just imagined the way things were, second-guessing myself and thinking it might all be in my head. He made me feel so stupid! I HATED that feeling, constantly worried about doing anything that might bother him."
"So then what happened?"
Liv shook her head, but there was a faint smile on her face, "One day, I realized I didn't care anymore. I was done caring. He got mad at me for... something or other, made a point of showing me his disapproval face before he turned his back and walked out of the room and... I didn't feel anything. All the power he had over me was just... gone. So, I stopped trying to talk to him. Left the house to get dinner by myself instead of making something for him. Came home and walked right past him.
"Later, he had the gall to ask me why I wasn't talking to him. I didn't even get mad. I just said, 'I don't want to talk to you anymore.' A few days after that, I rented my own apartment, packed up my things, and left. He actually got teary-eyed, if you believe that. 'Why would you do this to me? Don't you love me?' I just shrugged and kept going without acknowledging him. Didn't answer his calls or his texts either." She picked up her phone and changed the settings to temporarily reveal the blocked numbers she normally kept hidden. "How about that? He's left more than 400 messages now. Persistent, isn't he?" She changed the settings back, utterly uninterested in reading even a single one of them.
"Wow." Betty whispered. She slowly shook her head, processing it all, "Honey, I'm really proud of you."
"Thanks Babe. I'm proud of me too."
The rest of the meal was more upbeat. With the heavy topics out of the way, their conversation was light and pleasant. These two women were never more comfortable than when they were together.
They paid the check and stood, groaning a bit from sitting too long in one place. The restaurant had grown considerably busier in the few hours they'd been seated. Live reached between Betty's elbow and her torso. The two walked to the parking lot arm in arm. When they stopped by Betty's car, their arms seemed to naturally slip so they could hold one an other's hand. Betty was trembling very softly as they turned to face each other.
Liv's expression was one of pure adoration, "You know... you really are just... so beautiful."
Betty bit her lower lip, feeling her cheeks grow warm. She reached up to press her palm into the other woman's cheek. They gazed a few moments more into each other's eyes, then they both leaned in together for a sweetly romantic kiss.
"Soooo..." Liv whispered. Their foreheads pressed together after their lips parted. "We COULD drive to my apartment... or we could get a hotel room."
Betty bit her lip again and whispered back, "I think I would... really like staying in a hotel with you tonight."
*****
Coincidentally, at the house, Dylan had also made pasta. A lot of it seemed to have gone down the front of Hank's shirt, but Dylan figured they'd be going to bed in a while anyway. He didn't see much point in changing the old man's clothes, though he did get a warm washcloth to wipe the sauce from his face.
Hank chuckled, "You're not a bad cook, Kid."
Dylan winked, "Thanks, Grandpa." He cleaned the dishes while Hank headed to the living room to turn on his game show. A short while later, when Dylan was sitting on the couch, he let out a heavy sigh, "I sure do wish your mom was here."