A Perfect Fit, page 1
A Perfect Fit
By Kellan McKnight
©2023 Kellan McKnight
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to kellan.mcknight.author@gmail.com
Quantity sales. Special discounts may be available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others.
Printed in the United States of America
Acknowledgements
So many folks to thank... There will never be enough time or space to say all that needs to be said.
From the very beginning S, you have been my rock. None of this happens without your unyielding support and love. You are my safe space.
To T, C, B, A, J, and R… You are all my inspiration and make me a better person.
To those who have helped me along the way, your help and expertise is greatly appreciated. Willie, you were the first one to provide advice when I wanted to make this happen. I can’t tell you how much I value your friendship. Melissa (kismet), you’re the best in the world. I truly believe it. Tara, the service you provide is priceless (and thank you for not killing me with my eighty daily questions). Your patience-plus-professionalism formula sets my mind at ease.
To all authors who have provided advice wrapped in kindness, this also doesn’t happen without you. For those of us who must just psych ourselves up to actually send a message to someone we venerate, it means the world.
To all those who read this and might be inspired: Do it. Whatever your “it” is. Life’s just too damn short. Some of us learn that lesson the hard way. Stop putting it off. You can do it. I believe in you because someone (several someones, actually) believed in me and I want to pay it forward. YOU’VE GOT THIS.
— KM
From the first moment I saw you, I knew I would fall,
and my heart knew you would be there to catch me…
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue: One year later
About the Author
Chapter 1
"Let’s do this,” Ella Gardner said out loud to no one in particular as she opened up her laptop with the intention of researching the best places to meet women online. Her cat Narcissus blinked and turned away disinterestedly.
Ella was divorced and looking. After seventeen years of marriage to her husband, she finally decided to deal with what was wrong in her life. She had always known she was gay, but it wasn’t something she could accept.
After she realized she was developing troubling feelings for the new girl in high school, Ella got together with her best friend Alex in their senior year to prove to herself and everyone else that she was straight. Super straight. She and hot women were like two parallel lines, going on forever never to cross: therefore, never to gay. This mentality earned her a lot of self-loathing and an unplanned teenage pregnancy. As a volleyball star, Ella’s post-high school plans were to play four years at a university while earning a teaching degree. After AJ was born, she and Alex got married and the families united to help with childcare while she completed her teaching certificate.
Now, at thirty-five years old, Ella was ready to start living her life, but wasn’t sure how to go about meeting women. There was only one gay bar in the area, which was a few towns over. But there was no way she would be able to walk in there alone. She opted to make a profile on lesbefriends.com complete with pictures and as much information as she could think of. It had been a disastrous experience thus far.
Where most women her age were listening to pop radio and watching rom-coms, outsider Ella preferred things a little more off-kilter. In her humble opinion, grunge from the ’90s was still the best music, and there was no convincing her otherwise. It seemed like most people she ran across while scrolling through profiles wanted to watch Friends and listen to Miley Cyrus. Why couldn’t she find someone who wanted to curl up and watch a horror flick and listen to Nirvana?
Ella stumbled across a brand-new profile for Danna, who was thirty-two, liked Alanis Morrisette and R.E.M., and cited her favorite movie as the Rocky Horror Picture Show. This could work.
Ella sent Danna a ‘zing’; this site’s way to let someone know you are interested. She received a response a few hours later.
Danna, 10:23 p.m.: “So, you’re only my second zing. Is that good news or bad news?”
She was funny. This had potential.
Ella, 10:25 p.m.: “I guess that depends. Did you respond to the other one?”
Danna, 10:26 p.m.: “Nah. She listened to Taylor Swift.”
Oh, she was funny. She didn’t overuse emojis, which said to Ella that there was real potential for some fun, acerbic banter.
Ella, 10:28 p.m.: “Okay you’re my new favorite person. It is so hard to find people on these sites who aren’t just in it for hook-ups, threesomes or have shitty taste in music.”
Danna, 10:32 p.m.: “How do you know I’m not in it for a hook-up or a threesome?”
Whoa. Hang on. Ella knew she wasn’t into anything like that. But, moments later, she was relieved to receive a winky-face emoji. She had to give it to Danna, her interest was piqued.
Ella, 10:33 p.m.: “Okay, you scared me for a sec. Thanks for the emoji lifeline.”
Danna, 10:36 p.m.: “Yeah I’m a comedian at heart.”
Ella, 10:38 p.m.: “I’m going to go out on a limb here because you’re the first person I have talked to on this site who I’ve related to. Would you like to meet up for a drink soon?”
There you go, Ella. Just go with the first thing that comes to mind. Put yourself out there. Good stuff.
Danna, 10:41 p.m.: “Same here. Although my profile is new so I guess I can’t say much. How about the new Puerto Rican place that opened just across from Sparkle? Maybe tomorrow if that’s not too soon?”
Being a teacher made your schedule a little bit difficult to deal with. Being a mom made it worse. But today was Thursday. Tomorrow meant Friday. AJ had already made plans to stay at her dad’s house for the weekend, so she was free. Perhaps, if everything went well, Ella could make her first trip to a gay bar.
Ella, 10:44 p.m.: “That would be great. It’s your lucky day!”
Danna, 10:45 p.m.: “Well now that sounds hopeful. Let’s say eight then. We’ll start with a drink then if things go well, we can talk about dinner...and possibly breakfast.”
Hold the phone. What was that? Ella reread that last line a few times before the site’s bouncing, pride-flag-colored double-ellipsis told her that Danna was still typing.
Danna, 10:46 p.m.: “That was supposed to be funny. I figured that my sense of humor kept you talking, so I would flex my comedy muscle.”
Ella liked her a lot already. Drinks and dinner sounded perfect.
Ella, 10:48 p.m.: “Okay you got me there. Yes, let’s do it. Breakfast to be considered on date two...?”
Two can play that game, Miss Danna.
Danna, 10:51 p.m.: “I like you already, Ella. I look forward to seeing who can be funnier tomorrow night.”
Danna understood her sense of humor, which was very refreshing. They traded phone numbers just in case, and Ella couldn’t stop smiling. Tomorrow, she would go on her first real date ever. With a woman. With Danna. Funny Danna with the good taste in music and movies. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking this could be the start of something wonderful.
Chapter 2
It didn’t take long for Ella to realize that there was zero romantic chemistry between her and Danna. She was beautiful to be sure, shorter than Ella with full breasts and hips and luscious lips, but there was just no spark. The night was salvaged by a budding friendship. They were on the same wavelength in their senses of humor, and the date turned into a laugh riot. Both agreed that you couldn’t have too many friends, and that they would be hanging out a lot more in the future.
After learning Ella had never been to Sparkle, Danna offered to reach out to her friends to see who was going to be there. Ella drained her drink and ordered another because she had every intention of cutting loose for once in her life.
Danna’s friends Wendy and Valerie were already there, so they paid their bill and headed across the street. Danna was a regular and spoke candidly with the front door bouncer on the way in. This had the makings of a fun night, even if she was finding it hard to walk a straight line. The good news is they were in a gay bar. Straight lines need not apply!
Wendy and Val seemed very nice. Wendy sported a blond ponytail that bobbed with every nod of her head as introductions were made. Val had a neatly maintained pixie cut that suited her face and chestnut hair. Both were all smiles and agreed that shot
Val returned with a tray of what Ella assumed were tequila shots as they were accompanied by lime wedges and a saltshaker. If she were sober, she would not have done shots on top of the alcohol she had already consumed. But she and sober were not currently acquainted.
“Here’s to the newest member of our crew!” Wendy said, clapping Ella on the back and picking up her shot. Everyone else followed suit, and cheers were had all around.
“Guys, I ate a lot of mofongo and need to make up for it with some bumping and grinding,” Danna said, taking Ella by the hand and dragging her to the dance floor. Wendy and Val were right behind them.
Ella did her best to weave her way through the sea of bodies as beautiful woman after beautiful woman brushed against her in the crowd. She made eye contact with a lovely, ochre-skinned woman with fire-engine red hair. They made meaningful eye contact as she moved to the music, but there was no time to talk as Danna made a beeline to the action. She made a mental note to try to find the woman later to see if she wanted to dance.
Is that how you do that sort of thing in the lesbian community? She had no dating experience on either side of the fence, of course, having married right out of high school.
When they found just the right spot, Ella leaned over to yell-whisper into her new bestie’s ear as they swayed, jumped, and bopped to the music. “Hey, so, how do you get these women to dance with you? Do you just ask?” Danna looked back at her quizzically, but nodded through what must have been a light-bulb moment. They had discussed her lack of dating history in depth during dinner.
“Yeah, I mean, gay bars are different. There’s no pressure here. A lot of straight women come here because they’re not going to get hit on relentlessly like they do when they’re at straight bars.”
Ella stared at her in confusion, but Danna put an arm around her and pulled her in for a side hug.
“I know, I know. Why do they come here and tease us, right? In all seriousness, it’s just a fun environment. You are free to ask anyone to dance. Women know they can just tell you yes or no, and you will respect their decision,” Danna said.
It was in that moment that Ella decided that lesbians and women in general were mystical creatures. But then, she took a moment to think about her chosen outfit, comparing it to the other women dancing around her. She was such a mom. A teacher-mom. With mom-clothes and teacher-mom clothes. Ugh.
When dressing for her date, Ella had settled on a fitted, lightweight V-neck navy blue sweater paired with a pair of AJ’s slim-fit jeans that had a stylish rip in the knee and a small cuff at the bottom for this evening’s attire. She wore her shoulder-length blond locks loosely curled and parted on the side and just a touch of natural makeup and lip gloss.
“Hey, you have some good moves, my friend,” Val said as she paired off with Ella for a dance.
“Thanks. I just love losing myself to the music. I always do this on the weekends when I have the house to myself.”
It was so easy to just go somewhere else on the driving beat and not have to worry about anything. Time just melted away. After a few songs, Danna made a show of wiping her brow and fanning herself before suggesting they get another drink. Wendy and Val said they would meet up in a bit as they were focused on a lovely auburn-haired woman who moved seductively between them.
The line at the bar was moving quickly as the team of bartenders operated like a well-oiled machine to keep the patrons liquored up. Ella perused a list of drinks on her phone’s web browser because tonight was a night of firsts, and she wanted to try some new libations. When she looked up from her phone, she felt herself swaying a bit on her feet and reconsidered. “I think I may just get some water. I have had quite a bit to drink already,” she said as she leaned towards Danna’s ear.
Danna looked at her with an overexaggerated pout. “The night is still young, newbie! Come on, one more drink. Then we can switch to water like old ladies,” she said, receiving her whiskey and Coke and scooting to the side so Ella could step up to make her order.
Ella heard “what’ll you have?” just before she looked up from the drink menu on her phone. Time stood still, and the noise of the room faded away.
In front of her was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Dark, wavy locks cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, framing her heart-shaped face. Smoldering eyes the color of dark chocolate stared back into Ella’s sea-green ones as one side of her mouth curled up into a wry, knowing smile.
“Uh…” Ella stuttered as she ripped her eyes away to look down at her phone. The delicious-looking drink she had been pondering was no longer there. Frantically, she scrolled and ordered the first drink that popped up while her brain functioned on autopilot. “A Screaming Orgasm?” she said, and as soon as the words fell from her mouth, she felt the blood drain from her face. Danna elbowed her incredulously from the side as the beautiful bartender laughed out loud.
“Really, now? You did mean the drink, right?” she said with a wink.
It was just then that Ella snapped out of her trance and realized what she said. “Wait, no, sorry. I’ve lost my page here. Just a second,” she said as she tried to scroll back. No matter what the striking drink-maker thought, the folks behind her started to voice their wishes for her to get her drink and go…now. Ella couldn’t function. She couldn’t make the page come back up on her phone, so she opted to order something she knew she would enjoy for the first drink and perhaps she could get creative when she came back through the line. Danna made it obvious she wanted them to drink more.
“Let’s just do a vodka soda with lime,” Ella said to the lovely woman in front of her, who smiled and nodded and went about crafting the drink. “Make it a double, please,” she added as she stood red-faced and ready to sink into the floor.
The bartender nodded and, without looking up, added, “Do you want to pay for it or leave your card and cash out at the end of the night?”
Ella dug her credit card out of her back pocket and handed it over. She had come to the bar with the intention of hanging out with Danna and her friends for a while, but she now had a new objective: to drink more than she ever had in her life in order to lose herself in those eyes as often as possible.
The bartender picked it up and nodded, sitting it on a shelf behind her before tucking the drink receipt under it. She handed the drink over, and for the briefest of moments, their fingers brushed. Ella drew in a deep breath to steady herself.
“Here you go. You didn’t specify your brand of choice, but the well vodka we have here is terrible. So, I substituted something top-shelf for you, no charge,” she said with a beaming smile, showing off pearly-white teeth. “My name’s Parker Chase. It was very nice to meet you, Ella Gardner.” Parker said very in an alluring way that made her pulsate deep in her core. “Come see me if there’s a new drink you’re wanting to try. I have many recipes I want to try and am always looking for a willing participant,” Parker continued.
She let go of the drink, and Ella took a sip. It was just strong enough without being overpowering. Parker had traced the lip of the glass with the lime wedge before dropping it in the drink for a refreshing sour explosion in her mouth each time she sipped. This was the most perfect vodka soda in the history of the world; she was sure of it. “Oh, I will. I would love for you to try your recipes out...on...me.” Ella could no longer form cogent thoughts. Parker laughed heartily and winked at her again before Ella left the line with Danna.
“Girl, what in the world was that!” Danna said with a kindhearted chuckle.
“So, apparently, I still interact with hot people like an awkward seventeen-year-old, too,” Ella said, placing her forearm over her eyes in exasperation. She wondered if the gods would just strike her dead if she asked nicely.
“It was cute. That was one of the most honest reactions to Parker I’ve seen, and she loved it,” Danna said.
