Dinner time.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a pleasant, autonomous haze. Naomi was dimly aware of working out, cleaning up, and preparing dinner for Natalie. There were a few moments that her mind snapped into focus to make decisions like what to wear and what to make for dinner, but she mostly zoned out and thought about Natalie.

She got a text from her girlfriend at 5:17: omw home. hope you had a good day. Naomi's heart melted knowing that Natalie truly meant it. Of all the people to be linked to, she got one who genuinely cared about her! She put the penne alfredo on the back burner and started getting ready for Nat.

When Natalie arrived, Naomi was playing a video game with practiced casualness. She was wearing a tight t-shirt and her most revealing shorts, with just a bit of makeup and dry shampoo artfully applied. She had one bare foot on the ottoman and another on the floor, giving Natalie a nice view of her long, freshly-shave legs.

"Hey babe," she said nonchalantly. "How was your day?"

Natalie hung her backpack on the hook next to the door and stepped into the living room tentatively. "Fine," she said. "How was yours?"

"Great!" Naomi said with a goofy grin. "I made a new friend!"

Natalie looked stunned. "Seriously? Even with your, uh... condition?"

They'd have to work out what to call it at some point, but Naomi didn't bother with that. "Of course, Nat. I'm devoted to you, but I'm still me." Unless you want me to be someone else, she didn't add. "I got lunch with Steven, that guy from my art history class. Remember him?"

Natalie sat down next to her and Naomi was thrilled to see relief in her eyes. "Yeah, you studied together a few times. Why did you get lunch?"

"Well, to be honest, I think he was hoping to ask me out. When I explained that I was a lesbian in a monogamous relationship, we decided to just hang out and be friends."

"So you're gonna be friends with this guy now? Just like that?" Natalie wasn't suspicious, but perplexed. "Why?"

"You wanted me to be a normal person with a normal life, right? What's more normal than making friends at college? Nat, babe, I'm really going to do what's best for you. If an independent Naomi is what you want, then it's what you get! Now, are you ready for dinner?"

"Oh my gosh, Naomi, this is great!" Natalie said through her first mouthful of penne. "What's in it?"

Naomi smiled. She had deliberately used a cheap sauce to underscore that she wasn't a ****, but she couldn't help but add fresh spices and garlic to improve the flavor. She conspicuously left the empty can on the counter and removed all traces of the chopping, dicing, and mincing she had done.

"Oh, just the usual. I just added some fresh garlic and basil and stuff to improve the flavor." And oregano and butter and freshly ground white pepper and-

"Well, whatever you did, it's incredible!" Natalie said. Naomi beamed at the praise and they lapsed into a lazy, comfortable silence for a few minutes. Natalie was staring past her right elbow, deep in thought; Naomi was happy to give her the space to process. Finally, she spoke up.

"You know, Naomi, this is really nice. I love that you're doing all of this stuff, but I'm still a little worried that you're not... well, you know..."

"Free?" Naomi asked. She put down her fork and fixed a serious expression on her face. "I get that, Nat, I really do. I know I said some stuff that freaked you out really bad the other day, but that was just my way of processing it. It's been hard for you to process, so think about how I feel! Out of nowhere this thing kicks in and I'm some dweeb's loyal footservant for a few hours, then you show up and I'm yours. It takes some getting used to."

Natalie nodded slowly and sipped her wine. After a moment, Naomi continued. "When it first hit, all I could think about was doing anything to make you happy. I was very short-sighted, overwhelmed by this new framework my mind had been thrust into. I've lived with it for a few days now and I've gained a more holistic understanding of our new dynamic."

"Does that mean you don't have to obey my orders anymore?" Natalie asked eagerly.

Naomi smiled broadly. "Babe, I don't have to obey your orders because you won't give me orders. My goal isn't to obey you, it's to do what's best for you. Paradoxically that means I shouldn't do whatever you say because you don't want a woman who does whatever you say."

"Stand up," Natalie said suddenly. Naomi remained planted in her seat.

"You didn't want me to stand up," she said. "You wanted me to decide for myself. I decided to stay sitting. Natalie, this is a really good thing."

Natalie nodded, seeming to accept what she was saying for the first time. She pushed her plate away and wiped her mouth. Both women eyed the empty plate for a moment.

"Bus your own damn plate," Naomi said with a grin.