Emily stood and crammed her hands into her pockets as she slowly looked around the room. She cleared her throat before looking down on Alex and asking, "Are you kicking me out of your life?"
Alex took a deep breath as the tears began to roll down her cheeks in earnest. "I think some time apart would be good for all of us. I wasn’t joking about seeing a therapist you know. You need to get some things out in the open so you can understand why you are who you are and make some changes. Couples counseling probably wouldn’t hurt either. You’ve got a great relationship right in front of you, but if you continue to ignore it, you’ll lose it too." She wiped her cheeks as she tried to stop the flow of tears. "There may come a time when we're able to spend time together again, but right now we just aren’t healthy for each other."
Emily squared her shoulders and turned away. She held her hand out to Sarah and helped her from the chair. "I’m not going to lie and say I understand, because I don’t." She blew out her breath in frustration. "But I'll think about what you said."
As they began to walk towards the door, Alex called out, "Sarah, can I speak with you a moment?" She dropped Emily’s hand and returned to the couch as Emily continued on. Nikki stood, offering her seat before following Emily out the door. Alex looked at her with tear filled eyes. "I’m afraid she thinks I’ve abandoned her. I can’t bear the thought of losing her, Sarah. She’s been a part of my life since I was sixteen. You’ve both been my family for years. I don’t want to lose either of you. Please call me and let me know how things are going."
Sarah reached over and pulled her into her arms. "You’ve done a good thing here today, Alex. She doesn’t realize it yet, but she will. And when she does, she’ll see just how much it hurt you to do it. That will make forgiving you much easier." She released her and looked into her eyes. "Thank you." She stood and walked out the door, leaving her alone with her grief.
Alex lay over on her side and cried into the cushion. She cried for the loss of the love they’d once shared, for the loss of her best friend, and for the pain she’d just caused her. Nikki walked back into the room and heard the muffled sobs. She quickly helped her sit up, and pulled her into her arms. She gently rubbed Alex's back as she held her close. When the sobbing stopped and the tears slowly began to dry, she asked the question that had been running through her mind. "You love her don’t you?"
Alex took a shuddering breath and said, "Yes." She felt Nikki stiffen under her cheek. She pulled away enough that she could look her in the eye. "Just not like that. Not anymore, now I love her more like a sister. We met when I was sixteen and she was twenty. At first it was a bit rough. She absolutely hated me. After about a year we became friends. Then we became best friends, inseparable. We became lovers when I was twenty. She was my first long term girlfriend." She snuggled closer to Nikki and placed her head on her shoulder. "We were together for a couple of years, but it couldn’t last. We were just too different at that point in our lives, and we wanted different things. We broke up and somehow managed to stay friends. She was there for me through the entire second stage of my life and well into the third. I feel like I just cut off my hand."
Nikki did her best to comfort her as they sat quietly. A short time later she realized Alex had fallen asleep. She gently shook her awake and stood, scooping her up into her arms. As she neared the foot of the stairs, Alex stopped her. "Wait. My crutches are in the closet there. Will you get them for me? I really don’t think it's a good idea for you to try to carry me up the stairs."
Nikki set her down next to the stair railing before pulling the crutches from the closet. "Can you manage the stairs by yourself?" she asked. As Alex nodded, she smiled. "Okay, I’m going to get you a new ice pack for your ankle. Do you need anything else before bed?"
Alex shook her head and began the long climb up the stairs. She entered the master suite and began to change. Seconds after she finished pulling her pajamas on, there was a knock on the door. "Come in."
The door opened a crack and Nikki called out, "Are you decent?"
Alex smiled to herself and replied, "No, I’ve never been decent a day in my life. Don’t let that stop you." She heard Nikki’s chuckle as the door opened wider and she peered around it.
"You may not be decent, but at least you’re dressed." She walked into the room and placed the ice pack on the nightstand.
"Oh, you know you were hoping to catch me naked. Don’t even try to deny it," she teased. She was surprised to see Nikki's eyes darken with desire as they traveled over her body. She felt her nipples harden and heat pool between her legs in response.
Nikki leaned down and pulled the covers back, making room for Alex to
