380. Chapter 380

She’s never thought of herself as a particularly jealous person.

If you’re not used to having something, she figures, you get used to it.

And she’s not used to having good things.

So when good things start to slip away from her? Jealousy isn’t exactly what occurs to her.

But then she fell in love with Alex Danvers.

It wasn’t hard.

Falling in love with her.

Well, it was.

It was because it was terrifying because Alex was good and Alex was devoted and Alex was kind and Alex was trusting and Alex didn’t deserve someone like… her.

So it was hard, but it also wasn’t, because Alex Danvers makes it easy to fall in love with her.

And Maggie apparently isn’t the only one.

Because there’s a new girl in town and she’s gorgeous and she’s everything Maggie isn’t – she’s tall and she’s blonde and she’s high femme and she’s easygoing and she’s funny and she’s smooth and she’s confident and, the crappiest part of all, she actually seems really flipping nice – and, of course, this girl is flirting with Alex.

And Alex?

Alex is lapping it up.

She’s laughing a little too loudly and she’s leaning in a little too close and she’s buying her another beer.

“You okay?”

Maggie jumps, but it’s just James, just James, standing over her shoulder, his eyes in the same place Maggie’s are – across the bar, at the pool table, at her new girlfriend flirting away with this beautiful woman who obviously, obviously, obviously wants her.

“Yeah. Course I am, Olsen, why wouldn’t I – “

Alex bursts into laughter again, and Maggie doesn’t even bother to finish her sentence.

James sighs. “You know she’s new at all this, Maggie.”

“Right. Which is exactly what I was afraid of. That the second someone else comes along and shows interest – and who wouldn’t show interest in Alex, right? – she’d just – “

“No. No, that’s not what I meant – “

“I’m not slut shaming her or anything, James, I’m saying, I get it. It’s perfectly understandable for her to want to be with more than one person, it – “

“No, Maggie, stop. That’s not what I meant at all. I meant. She’s new at this, and she doesn’t really know what flirting is.”

Maggie rolls her eyes up at him, piercing him with the skepticism in her eyes.

“Maggie, you guys have told us the story. How many different ways did Alex flirt with you before she realized she was doing it? And anyway, Maggie, that girl? Look at Alex’s eyes. Really look.”

“I’d rather not look deeply into my girlfriend’s eyes while she’s flirting with a beautiful woman.”

“You’re a beautiful woman, Maggie. And trust me. Look at her.”

Maggie sighs and does as she’s told, because there’s something in James’s voice that doesn’t sound consoling. It just sounds… right.

“She’s happy to be making a friend. To be out of the DEO, to be having fun. She didn’t do that before she met you, unless it was with Kara. She’s happy, but really look at her, Maggie.”

And Alex chooses that moment to look past the girl she’s flirting with and give Maggie a huge smile, a huge wave. “Come on, babe, how long can it possibly take to grab another round?” she calls, and Maggie holds up one finger at her.

“See? See how her eyes changed? She’s having fun, Maggie, but she only wants you. She doesn’t know she’s flirting. She knows a lot of things, Alex Danvers, but not…”

“Girls,” Maggie says with a grin, and James returns it.

“Girls.”

So the next time Alex laughs at this other girl’s jokes, Maggie swallows the jealousy and instead, tosses her arms around Alex’s waist. And Alex leans into her, reaches her hand behind her head, strokes Maggie’s hair, and turns her face to kiss her cheek.

And the next time Alex leans into the girl while she’s laughing, she also leans the other way. Into Maggie’s body. All the way into Maggie’s body. And she kisses her soundly.

By the time she opens her eyes, the other girl has slipped away.

Because listening to Alex talk about her girlfriend the entire time she thought they were flirting was one thing.

Having Alex’s girlfriend actually come by, and watching Alex be all over her, was quite another.

Alex barely notices, and James grins, because Maggie?

Maggie had nothing to be jealous of, after all, and she kisses Alex all the deeper because of it.