Don't Say It (Pt. 08 Finale)

"I'm here!" Jack exclaimed as he barreled towards us. Nicole grabbed ahold of him as he slid to a stop, his eyes wide with panic.

"She's in there." Nicole said calmly and gestured towards the room behind us. Sophie's screams rang through the hallway. "Just, uh, be prepared."

He gulped down a breath and nodded. We stepped aside and watched as he entered the room.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" We heard Sophie screamed before the door shut again.

Nicole and I looked at each other, and her lips lifted into an amused smile. "That kid is going to have the best parents."

"And the best aunt," I added with a pointed look.

Her smile faltered. "Yeah."

Stepping forward, I took her hand in mine. "Are you okay?"

Her cheek pulsed as she clenched her jaw. Looking down at me, she shook her head, and I immediately wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm sorry," she said tightly. "For shutting down earlier."

"You have nothing to apologize for," I comforted. "You were trying to process everything. I understand that."

"I don't want to keep worrying you," she murmured.

"Hey," I pulled away to look at her sternly. She reluctantly met my gaze, her eyes conflicted. "I want all of you, okay? All the good and the bad. That's what I'm signing up for because I want to be here with you through it all."

She shook her head, her brows furrowing. "But why? You could have anyone else, but you're here with me. My life is so messy, Lily."

I rested a hand on her cheek, smiling tenderly. "Because I love you. Come on, now, babe. Catch up."

She breathed out a laugh and pressed her forehead against mine. "Who knew that under all of that quiet demeanor would be the sassiest girl I've ever met."

"Well, it's too late to get a refund," I teased.

"Their loss, my gain." She leaned down to capture my lips with hers.

I melted against her. We kept our kiss PG and our hands around each other's waist.

A throat cleared behind me, and we pulled away. Evelyn and Dan were standing behind us with a young woman. She was very pretty with silky, black hair that ran past her shoulders and slim hazelnut eyes, but there was an exhaustion on her face with the dark bags under her eyes. She glanced between me and Nicole, an amused look on her face, while Evelyn and Dan looked uncomfortable.

I was suddenly reminded of our lunch with Dan from today, and it seemed like Nicole was too as she took a step away from me. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of the woman, however.

"Is she in there?" Evelyn asked curtly as she glanced at the door.

Nicole nodded. "Yes. Jack just got--"

Evelyn immediately rushed into the room, with Dan following her. The door closed behind them, leaving the three of us in the hallway.

"So... she's the one?" the young woman broke the silence as her lips formed a small smirk. "You didn't tell me how beautiful she was."

I knew she was talking about me with the way her eyes ran down my body.

Nicole sighed. "Kennedy--"

"Thanks," I said, stepping up and offering a hand. "I'm Lily."

Kennedy raised a surprised brow but took my hand and shook it. Her grip was gentler than I expected and her bony hands, soft.

"I'm Ken, Soph's cousin," she said.

We both glanced over at Nicole, who looked really tense and uncomfortable now. I had a feeling they both had a history.

"So what are you doing here?" Nicole asked awkwardly.

Ken shrugged and glanced over at the door. "I was with Evelyn and Dan when they got the call from you. They wanted me to come."

Nicole frowned, and now it was Ken's turn to look uncomfortable. It seemed like they had a lot to talk about.

I took a step away. "I'm gonna go find the restroom."

Nicole broke her gaze away from Ken's to look at me, and her expression softened. I gave her a reassuring smile before leaving.

Ken's gaze followed me the entire time and before I turned the corner, I heard her ask Nicole, "Does she know?"

It took every bit of resistance in me to keep walking. She had to be talking about me, but know what?

I didn't actually need to use the restroom, so I ended up just standing near the elevator instead and stared out the window to pass time.

"Lily?"

I turned in the direction of the voice and froze in shock. She looked just as surprised, and slowly, my gaze trailed down to the slight bulge of her stomach. She followed my gaze and rubbed her stomach, and I snapped my eyes back up to see her smile tightly.

Vivian Wu, the first girl I fell in love with, in the living flesh.

"Hi," I said lamely, my mind still blank.

"Hey," she greeted back quietly. "I thought I saw you come in earlier, but I almost didn't recognize you. You look different."

I shifted on my feet awkwardly and attempted a smile. "Good different or bad different?"

"Good different." She laughed softly. "Definitely good."

"You look different too," I blurted out, and she raised a brow. "Oh, I mean not because of the bump, or, oh shit, sorry I didn't mean that. I mean you look good too."

My face flushed hot, and I bit down on my lip to stop myself from talking.

Fortunately, Vivian didn't look offended and actually grinned. "Thank you. I think?"

I kept my lips tightly sealed and nodded.

"So what are you doing at the hospital? In Macon, of all places?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm here for a friend. She's in labor," I answered.

Vivian looked down at her stomach as she rubbed it gently. "I see."

"How far along are you?"

"About three months."

"Is it..."

She understood what I meant and quickly shook her head. "No, he and I broke up during our first year after he cheated on me."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "It's alright. I wasn't that innocent either. We just weren't meant to be."

I suddenly remember our past flings while she was still with Liam Matheson. All of it felt so long ago even though it had only been a couple of years.

"Are you here for a checkup?" I asked. It was a little late for one.

"Oh no. I'm here for Mason, my boyfriend. It's nothing too serious, though," she quickly added that last part when my eyes widened. "He just got a mild concussion from being tackled by a suspect earlier."

"He's an officer?"

She nodded.

It seemed like our conversation was reaching an ending point, but we both didn't know how to leave. I thought about going back to see if Nicole and Kennedy were still talking, but I didn't want to interrupt if they were.

"I hope he feels better," I said.

Vivian smiled. "Thanks." Then her expression grew serious, and she took a step towards me. "Hey, I don't want to make things awkward, but can I bring up the past for just a moment?"

"Um, sure."

She let out a breath, and I caught a glimpse of the conflict in her eyes before she dropped her gaze to the ground. "I feel like the way things ended between us was unfair to you. I treated you so badly, and I'm really sorry for that."

Surprised, I could only stare at her in silence. Hesitantly, she looked up again.

"I wish I could be like you," she said softly. "I wish I could have been brave enough to be out because I really did like you, Lily. I was just too much of a coward, and I ended up hurting you because of it."

"It's okay," I found myself saying without thinking, but as the words came out, I knew that I meant them. She had been my first love and heartbreak, but as I thought back to our relationship, the pain she had left me felt so distant.

"Are you happy?" I asked her.

She looked down at her pregnant stomach again, not smiling but not frowning either. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I had never been able to.

"Yeah," she finally answered and looked up again with a small smile. I couldn't tell if she meant it, but it wasn't my place to push.

"Lily."

At the sound of Nicole's voice, I turned around, and she slowed down as she neared us. Her eyes flickered between Vivian and I curiously.

"Nicole, this is Vivian. We used to go to school together. Vivian, this is my... Nicole," I introduced them.

Vivian's eyes widened just slightly, and before awkward silence could settle in, Nicole stepped forward and offered her hand with a polite smile.

"Hey, Vivian, it's nice to meet you."

Vivian shook her hand and returned her smile. "It's nice to meet you too."

Once they released each other's hands, Nicole stepped back, and the back of her hand brushed mine. Smiling, I laced our fingers together and felt her glance over at me.

"Anyways, I should head back up," Vivian said as she pulled her gaze up from our interlaced fingers. "It was great to see you again, Lily, and I'm glad to see that you're happy."

"I'm glad that you're happy too," I said. "And I hope everything goes well with Mason."

She smiled warmly. "Thanks."

As Vivian walked away, Nicole stepped in front of me but still kept her hand in mine. Her eyes were soft as she gazed down at me.

"You okay?" she asked with concern and reached up to gently caress my cheek.

I leaned into her touch and let my heavy eyes flutter close. "Yeah. I'm just tired and a little sleepy."

"Come here." She wrapped her arm around me and led me towards a bench nearby. When we settled down on it, she tilted my head to rest on her shoulder, and I closed my eyes again. Slowly, Nicole rubbed circles on my arm. I felt my eyes grow heavier, but I didn't want to sleep yet.

"Did you have a good talk with Kennedy?" I tried to keep the curiosity out of my voice.

"I did."

More questions pressed on my mind, but I didn't want to pressure her to tell me. Clearly, there had been something between them, and to my annoyance, I was starting to think about how pretty she looked even with the exhaustion on her face.

But Kennedy thought I was pretty too, and I remembered the way she had looked at me. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be flattered or intimidated.

"Kennedy was the person I cheated on Nat with," Nicole suddenly said, bringing me back to the present. "I never told anyone that it was her, but she told Dan and Evelyn earlier. They didn't really have the chance to say anything before I called them."

It took me a moment to register what she had said, and I pulled away to look at her. She steadily met my gaze, but her eyes were filled with uncertainty as if she was afraid I would leave.

Nicole chewed on her lip. "There's one more thing."

"What is it?" I asked gently.

"Before you and I got together, I slept with her again. It was during those two weeks I was gone."

A pang shot through my chest. Even though we weren't together at the time, it still hurt because she had pushed me away only to sleep with someone else.

"Do you--"

"I don't have feelings for her," Nicole quickly said as if she anticipated my question, and she met my gaze again and grabbed my hands firmly. "I never have. With Kennedy, it's just... I don't know. I was feeling guilty for having feelings for you, and we were both lonely and it just sort of happened."

"Again," I said tersely.

She swallowed and broke her gaze to look down at our hands. "Lily, I'm sorry."

I couldn't answer.

Not only that. It was with someone she had slept with before. Someone who she apparently regretted sleeping with in the first place but ended up doing it again. She said she didn't have feelings for Kennedy, and I wanted to believe her. Part of me did, but my gut still twisted at the thought of them together while I was left heartbroken for those two weeks.

"I understand if you're angry," she said quietly. "If you need space or--"

"I don't want space," I interrupted. "I'm not angry. I'm hurt and just really... jealous, I guess."

She looked up again to meet my gaze and searched my face as her mouth grew slack.

"Are you sure you really don't have feelings for her?" I asked.

"I'm sure." she immediately answered and tightened her grip on my hands.

It was my turn for me to search her face, and the tightness in my stomach lessened when I saw the sureness in her eyes. Now, my stomach tingled instead.

"Okay," I breathed out a sigh and mustered up a smile.

She began to smile. "Okay?"

I nodded, and she finally grinned and pulled me into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too." I nuzzled against her neck. "Thanks for telling me the truth."

Nicole rubbed my back soothingly. "I promise you'll be the only person I sleep with from now on."

I couldn't help but snort. "I better be."

She laughed softly, and as the sleepiness began to kick in, I let my eyes close. The last thing I remembered was Nicole pressing a kiss to my temple before I dozed off.

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Sophie and Jack named their baby girl, Rosie.

"Six point nine pounds," Jack cooed beside Sophie as he held Rosie against his chest. Sophie smiled happily at him and their daughter, though her eyes were filled with exhaustion. "Our little girl is six point nine pounds."

My insides felt all gooey and mushy as I watched them. Seeing the happiness on their faces, even on tiny Rosie, I felt the overwhelming desire to protect them and make sure they never lost that happiness. Beside me, Nicole was watching them with a small smile, though her gaze seemed distant, distracted even. I gave her hand, which was clasped in mine, a squeeze, and she turned her smile towards me.

'You okay?' I mouthed.

Nicole gave me a quick nod and squeezed my hand in return. Then she leaned in and whispered, "What's Rosie's sign?"

I smiled. "She's a Taurus."

"What does that mean?"

"Tauruses are grounded and patient, and they work hard for however long to get what they want. They're very resilient," I answered, and Nicole smiled as she returned her gaze to Rosie. I didn't look away from Nicole as I continued. "Like you, she's an earth sign, so she is going to be the solid person that anyone can rely on and trust."

Nicole's smile slowly faded, but before she could get lost in her own thoughts, Dan and Evelyn returned with breakfast from the cafeteria downstairs. Nicole stiffened and dropped her gaze to her lap, and my chest tightened.

We were about to leave two hours ago after Sophie gave birth, but Sophie and Jack insisted that they stayed a little longer. She still didn't feel comfortable staying until Dan spoke up and insisted that we stayed, and Evelyn didn't say anything to protest either.

As Dan brought breakfast over to Sophie and Dan, Evelyn walked towards us with two other boxes. I straightened, but Nicole didn't seem to notice as she burned her gaze into her lap.

"Dan and I didn't know what you like, Lily, so we got you a little bit of everything," Evelyn said as she handed me a box. Gone was the callousness and anger in her tone, and out of shock, I almost forgot to reply until I saw Nicole raised her head.

"Thank you," I mustered, and Evelyn gave me a polite nod before she shifted her gaze to Nicole, who looked so... unguarded.

She didn't look like the assured professor in front of a class, nor did she look like the playful and flirty woman I fell in love with.

Nicole simply looked forlorn, as if she was seeking shelter from this woman who had all but abandoned her, yet she couldn't help but hope anyway. It made my chest hurt seeing her like this, and I wanted to hold her forever and never let go.

"They had blueberry waffles," was all Evelyn said as she extended the second box.

Nicole's grip on my hand tightened as she continued to stare at Evelyn, lips parting in surprise.

I took the box from Evelyn's hand and stacked it on top of mine. "Thank you."

"Yes, I --" Nicole gave a brief shake of her head and cleared her throat. "Thank you."

Feeling several gazes on us, I turned my head to see Dan, Jack, and Sophie staring. They quickly averted their gazes when Evelyn turned back to them.

"Nicole, do you want to hold her for a bit?" Jack asked, his eyes warm and gentle. "My arms are getting kind of tired."

She glanced over at Evelyn, who was busying herself with her breakfast. "I, um, I don't know."

"It will just--"

Nicole quickly stood up and let go of my hand, interrupting Jack. "I don't -- I'll be right back. Sorry."

And then she strode out of the room before anyone else could stop her. I stood up to follow her, but then Evelyn set her box down and stood as well. We all turned to her in surprise.

"I'll go talk to her," she said and then walked right past me out the door.

I turned back to her family, who still looked just as shocked.

"Should I be worried?" I asked.

Because if Evelyn wasn't going after her to make peace, then I was going to walk right out that door and protect the woman I loved. I didn't care if it wasn't what Nicole wanted. She had suffered for far too long.

But Dan shook his head as he offered a small smile. "I think they'll be okay."

"If all it took was a baby, then I should have gotten pregnant a long time ago," Sophie joked.

"We can try for another baby," Jack quipped. "See if that heals all the hate in the world?"

Sophie grimaced. "Yeah lets not talk about that four hours after what my body just went through."

He grinned in response.

"It was Ken, actually," Dan said.

Sophie frowned. "Ken?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "You didn't know?"

"Know what?"

Knowing what was coming, I decided to leave them to talk and left the room. Evelyn and Nicole were nowhere in sight, but I immediately saw Ken sitting on a bench outside Sophie's room, nursing a cup of coffee.

She smirked when I turned to her in surprise, but there was no humor on her face. "They're talking about me, aren't they?"

Instead of answering, I sat down beside her.

"I guess Nicole already told you," she said. "That's why you're not in there?"

"Yeah, she told me."

"And you're staying?" she questioned. There wasn't judgement in her tone, but, rather, confusion.

"If humans were only defined by their mistakes and weren't allowed to move on, then we would have not lasted this long as a species," I said.

Ken let out a breathy laugh. "She told me you were smart."

"But not beautiful?"

"You know..." Ken winked. "I think she was keeping that to herself."

Heat flooded my cheeks, but I allowed myself a smile.

"I'm glad she got her head out of her ass and let you in," Ken said. "She needs someone like you in her life."

"She doesn't need me," I said and meant it. Nicole was strong, and even without me, I imagined she would have still carried on just fine.

"We can be the most independent person in the world and still be lonely," Ken replied quietly, losing her smile as she looked down at her cup. "We all need someone."

I swallowed tightly as a question sat on the tip of my tongue. I decided to ask it anyway. "Do you have someone?"

She blew out a quiet breath as her shoulders sagged, but she forced a smile back on her lips as she lifted her gaze. "Yeah, I do." Relieved, I began to smile, but then Ken raised her cup of coffee. "Caffeine in the morning and booze at night. Best company anyone could ask for."

I frowned. "That's not--"

"Ken and Nicole?!?" Sophie exclaimed from inside the room.

I grimaced while Ken gave a tiny shrug.

Then she rubbed her exhausted eyes. "I think I'm gonna head out."

"Are you sure?" I glanced towards the room, where the voices had lowered down again. "I'm pretty sure they still want you here."

"I know they do," she said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "But I am in need of something a little stronger than coffee."

"I thought booze was at night."

She laughed quietly. "You don't miss a thing, do you?"

"I really think you should stay."

"Actually, I really think I need a drink from TD's." She stood. "Best bar in the city, but there's a bitch who frequents that bar and tends to sleep with taken women so best to avoid it."

My stomach fell. "Ken --"

She backed away, that self-deprecating smile tight on her face. "Tell them I said congrats, okay?"

I wanted to say something along the lines of, 'tell her yourself,' but I knew there was no use. I thought Nicole was stubborn, but it seemed like Ken was twice as much.

Instead, all I did was give her a nod, and she gave me another wink before turning around and walking away.

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When I returned to the room, the conversation was over, and Sophie had drifted off into sleep. Dan was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, nodding off as well. Jack needed to use the restroom and asked me to hold Rosie. I was reluctant, having never held a newborn before, but with some puppy eyes and pleads from him, I relented.

I ended up taking his seat next to Sophie, and when he pressed little Rosie into my arms, I felt like I melted. I was holding six point nine pounds of flesh in my arms, and she was the lightest thing ever. Rosie was breathing so quietly as she slept, her face all scrunched up and shiny that made my chest squeeze with adoration.

Sensing another presence in the room, I looked up and found Nicole leaning against the doorway, her smile soft as she watched us. There were tear marks on her face, and her eyes and cheeks were red.

But she seemed lighter, somehow.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly to not wake the others.

Nicole pushed away from the door to walk towards me. Her eyes flickered from Rosie and back to me, and her smile grew.

"I'm perfect," she whispered and then leaned down to press a kiss between my brows.

I looked up at her as she gently stroked her fingers through my hair. "I take it the conversation went well?"

"It went very well." Her gaze dipped to Rosie. "Evelyn just needed a moment to herself."

"Do you want to hold her?" I asked.

Nicole chewed on her bottom lip, and she looked at me again. "What if I drop her?"

"You won't."

"How can you be so sure?"

I smiled. "Because I know you, Nicole. You care so much for the people you love, and one mistake doesn't change that. Rosie will be lucky to have you as her aunt."

Nicole's eyes grew glassy as her fingers stilled in my hair, and just as I began to worry that I had said the wrong thing, her lips twitched with a smile.

"I was just worried about dropping her," she teased, and I laughed, relaxing. She slid her fingers out of my hair and then held her arms out, and I carefully stood up and transitioned Rosie over.

"Oh god," Nicole murmured as she smiled down at Rosie. "She's so..."

"Light?" I offered.

"Heavy actually," she said, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing loudly. Nicole grinned. "She's like a bag of rocks, this one. She's gonna be strong as her dad and tough as steels like her mom."

Feeling swelled in my chest. "I love you."

Her grin widened as she stepped towards me and leaned down, and I met her halfway with a kiss. Rosie made a tiny noise between us, and Nicole pulled back, her eyes widening.

"Do you think that was her talking?"

"Babe, she's less than a day old."

"So?" Nicole shot me a playful glare. "Babies have their ways of communicating, you know."

"Do they now?"

Nicole nodded vigorously. "She was saying she thinks we're a perfect match."

"Oh?" Grinning, I slid my arms around her hips. "And you just speak baby language now?"

"It comes naturally," Nicole said, so much happiness radiating off of her, and my stomach fluttered. "I think, with me being a literature professor and all that --"

I raised myself up on my tippy toes and silenced her rambling with a kiss, and Nicole's lips relaxed into a smile as she returned it in earnest.

I didn't know what the future looked like for us, and we were still in the beginning stages of our relationship. But presently, I was happy with Nicole by my side, and she was no longer shutting me out. For the first time, it seemed like she wanted to be happy too, and that was perfect enough for me.

Epilogue

Nicole was a complete nervous wreck.

"There's nothing in my teeth, right?" she asked for the third time and flashed her teeth at me as we walked up the driveway.

"No, your teeth is perfect, babe," I reassured her once again with a sigh, but a pang shot through me when my eyes swept over the bruises on her face.

She had gotten hit by a car on her way to her first summer class last week, and it took a lot of convincing from both Soph and I to get her to go to the hospital.

But that was after she had gone to her class anyway, all bloody and bruised up. The swelling had just faded a few days ago, but the bruises were still prominent.

Nicole suddenly drew to a stop, her eyes widening. "Oh god, am I annoying you? I'm annoying you with all of my questions, right? Lils, I'm so --"

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "Everything is going to be fine, you are going to be fine, and you are not annoying me. Evelyn and Dan invited you, remember?"

"Right. Yeah, of course. They invited me, so everything will be fine."

She was still too tense, and I pulled away to grip her shoulders firmly. "Nicole."

Nicole's eyes finally settled on mine, and I felt her shoulders sag as her lips quirked into a tiny smirk. "Lily."

"I am being so serious right now. You can do this."

"You're adorable when you're being serious." She tried to draw me in for a kiss, but I stood firm. Nicole threw her head back with a groan. "Okay, fine, yes. I can do this. Everything will be fine, and they want me here. Blah, blah, blah. Can I kiss my too serious but so very beautiful girlfriend now?"

I gasped sharply. "I am not too--"

Nicole pulled me towards her, and I didn't stop her this time when she leaned in and kissed me. Smiling, I drew a hand up to cup her jaw and felt her shiver slightly.

Distantly, I heard the front door open.

"If you two are done making out, dinner is ready," Jack's amused voice broke our kiss, and Nicole glared at him as he smirked at us from the doorway.

"We'll be right in," Nicole shot back.

"If you say so." He gave me a wink before closing the door again, and Nicole rolled her eyes as she turned back to me.

The door opened again, but it wasn't Jack but Evelyn's voice as she poked her head out. "Did they get -- oh, you both made it!"

Nicole's face softened as she turned to her with a nervous smile. "Hey, Evelyn. We were just about to head in."

Evelyn widened the door, her smile just as nervous but genuine.

Nicole told me she had broken down in tears at the hospital before Evelyn could even say anything to her, and they both had cried together for a while before exchanging a myriad of apologies. Nicole and I didn't know the full details of Ken's conversation with Dan and Evelyn, but it must have been some talk for Evelyn to talk to Nicole again.

All we knew was that Ken had told them that if they hated Nicole for what she did, then they had to hate her even more for initiating things with Nicole that night.

Nicole's relationship with them was still tentative, but Evelyn called her a few times a week to check in. Today was the first time we would be seeing them again since Rosie was born, and Evelyn had invited us to dinner and to stay for the weekend. Nicole had been nervous about it all week, but seeing the smile on Evelyn's face, I felt her relax beside me, and she slipped a hand into mine.

"I hope you guys have an appetite because I made more food than I thought," Evelyn said as we stepped into the house.

"I'm astronomically famished, so I'll eat as much as you want me to," Nicole replied with a grin.

Evelyn laughed. "Good, good. Between you and Jack, it seems like I won't have to worry about leftovers." Then she turned to me. "Lily, it's good to see you again."

Surprised at being addressed, I stammered, "It's good to see you again too."

She took my other hand in hers, and I felt my eyes widened.

"Thank you for taking care of Nicole for us," she said with, her voice laced with warmth and seriousness, and her eyes flicked over to Nicole. "It couldn't have been easy trying to drag her to the hospital."

"It was only a few scratches and bruises!" Nicole defended, and Evelyn and I laughed.

"Nicole hates it when I'm angry, so it didn't take much for me to convince her," I said.

"You're scary when you're angry," she muttered.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

A laugh bubbled out of Evelyn. "You do well and listen to Lily." Her eyes began to glisten with tears, and she quickly wiped them as she turned away. "I should go check on the roast. Why don't you guys go make yourself comfortable in the living room?"

Nicole opened her mouth, but Evelyn quickly stepped in to give her a brief hug before pulling away.

"I'm glad you're here," Evelyn said with a small smile before she left for the kitchen, and Nicole stared after her with a conflicted look.

"Did I say something?" she asked quietly.

"You did nothing wrong," I said firmly, and slowly, her eyes traveled down to meet mine again. "I think she's just overwhelmed by a lot of emotions, but you heard her. She wants you here."

Nicole slowly nodded. "I'm really glad I met you. I don't know where I would be without you in my life."

"You would have been fine."

She shook her head and brought my hand up to press against her chest. "You make me want to be better. I open up more. You're the reason I can sleep in my own bed again. You helped me talk to my --" She swallowed tightly before continuing, "To my family again. If it wasn't for you, I would still be so lost. You make me feel complete, Lily."

My throat felt stuck as tears welled up in my eyes, and Nicole smiled softly as she reached up to wipe them away.

"Give yourself some credit," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "I might have been there to push you, but you're the one who did all of that. You could have pulled away, but you didn't. You stayed."

Leaning down, she pressed her forehead against mine, and my eyes fluttered close.

"I stayed," she whispered. "Smartest thing I ever did."

Laughing, I pulled her down and kissed her hard.

Cailee and Alice Short

Cailee never had much luck when it came to picking her classes. It didn't help that she was a procrastinator and always waited until the last minute to pick her classes.

That was how she ended up in Professor Nicole Keller's Comparative Ethnic American Literature class. She needed a class to fulfill her humanities requirement for the summer semester, and this was the only class that fitted in between her other two classes. The class sounded easy enough even though Cailee had never been great at literature or anything reading, really, but Alice, her best friend, had taken the class before and assured her it was a breeze.

The portal had not listed the professor when she signed up for the class, but a couple of weeks before classes were supposed to start, she received an email that a professor had been assigned to the class. Cailee considered dropping the class immediately, but Alice convinced her not to.

"I don't want to graduate without you, so you better keep it," Alice threatened over the phone.

Cailee had taken a gap semester before her first year, so she was a semester behind Alice and their other best friend, Lola. Alice and Lola made her promise to graduate with them, and Cailee was beginning to regret making that promise.

"There's no point in wasting my time because she's going to fail me anyway," Cailee said more bitterly than she intended.

She had taken one of Professor Keller's class in her first year, and it still was the worst class she had taken ever. She barely passed.

But that wasn't what she was bitter about. She thought she had mostly gotten over it, but it had only been about two months since Lily, the girl she really liked, had chosen Professor Keller over her. The wound was still too fresh.

"She won't do that," Alice tried to assure her. "She's not as bad as you think she is."

Cailee bit down on a retort. It bothered her that her best friend was still close to Lily despite everything that happened, but she knew it would be unfair of her to make Alice choose between them.

"Look, just give it a couple of days, and if you really don't like the class, then drop it," Alice said. "Deal?"

Sighing, Cailee reluctantly agreed. "Deal."

---------

Several weeks later, Cailee was back on campus for the first day of summer classes. She still had her same dorm from the previous semester, just without Lola, who had been rooming with her before.

Cailee's nerves were all over the place as she sat in her morning history class, and she tried to shove the thought of Professor Keller out of her head. It didn't help that the history class was lead by an older professor who spoke too slowly and whose voice could barely be heard even in the small classroom. She entertained the thought of dropping his class too, but she knew there would be no point in staying for the summer with just one course.

After the class ended, Cailee went to grab breakfast at the student center. She still had three hours before Professor Keller's class, which was less than a ten minute walk from the student center.

Thirty minutes before her class, Alice called her.

"Hey, what's up?"

Cailee's greeting was met with silence, and she pulled the phone away to check if she was still on the call. Alice had not hung up.

"Alice?"

Then there was a slow exhale before Alice finally spoke. "Hey. Sorry, I got distracted."

There was something in her voice that made Cailee frowned. "Are you okay? You sound off."

"Yeah, no, I'm fine. I just got back from the gym, so I'm feeling a little out of breath," Alice answered. "But how was history?"

Cailee wasn't sure if she believed her, but she decided not to push it. Instead, she told Alice a little bit about the class and professor, who listened quietly on the other end.

"Anyway, enough about that. Did Asher make it there okay?" Cailee asked.

Alice had met Asher at a bar a few months ago, and they had been going out since then. Cailee had met him a couple of times, and he seemed nice. A little quiet in contrast to Alice's bubbly personality, but he seemed to make her best friend happy.

"Yeah, he did," Alice answered too quietly.

Cailee frowned. "Alice, what --"

"Hey, I gotta go," she interrupted. "Let me know how Professor Keller's class goes. Talk to you later."

Before Cailee could protest, Alice hung up. Cailee looked at her phone, and then her eyes widened when she saw she only had ten minutes before class started. Cailee packed everything up into her backpack and rushed out of the building.

She managed to make it there with just two minutes to spare. Cailee barely had time to take a breath before she rushed into the full classroom and grabbed the first available seat she saw, which just happened to be on the front row, right in front of Professor Keller's unoccupied desk.

That was when she realized Professor Keller wasn't there yet, and she slumped into her seat as the exhaustion settled in. Her skin was slick with sweat, and she pulled her hair out of its bun to fix it up.

Twenty minutes later, Professor Keller still had not arrived, and everyone in the class had double and triple checked their schedules to make sure they were in the right location and time. But they were right where they were supposed to be. Professor Keller was just late, which was highly unusual.

Finally, twenty minutes before class was supposed to end, Professor Keller limped into the room, and there were some audible gasps from the students when they saw the scratches and bruises on her face. Cailee sat up straighter in her seat, her eyes widening.

"Sorry I'm late," Professor Keller said with a grimace and stopped at her own desk to lean against it. Her clothes looked roughen up, and Cailee spotted some blood under her white blouse. "A car literally hit me on the way here."

Almost immediately, the class grew loud as several students asked her if she was okay. Professor Keller held up a scratched up hand, and the class grew quiet again.

"I'm okay. A little scratched up, but nothing too crazy," she said with a smile. "Anyways, I'm here now, so I figured we can go over the syllabus for the remainder of time."

Leave it up to Professor Keller to get hit by a car and still show up to work.

Professor Keller moved behind the desk and logged into the computer as the class watched her in disbelief. As the syllabus popped up on the screen, Professor Keller looked up from the computer and turned her gaze to Cailee.

Professor Keller offered a small smile, and Cailee averted her gaze to the screen.

And true to her words, Professor Keller spent the last twenty of class going over the syllabus. In the last couple of minutes left, she asked if there were any questions, but everyone was still too shocked to register anything she had said. As soon as class was dismissed, Cailee packed up her things and headed for the door.

She felt Professor Keller's gaze on her, but she avoided it. As soon as she stepped out of the classroom, she stopped. Lily had just turned the corner and was rushing straight towards the classroom, but when she saw Cailee, she slowed down, her eyes widening.

"Cailee," Lily said hesitantly as she took a step forward. "What are..."

Lily's eyes flickered to something behind Cailee, who turned and followed her gaze to Professor Keller.

Professor Keller was talking to a student, but she glanced up at them and her face paled. Cailee turned back around to see the mixture of worry and anger on Lily's face as she glared at the professor.

Cailee moved again, but before she could get away, Lily reached out and grasped her wrist, stopping her.

"Can we please talk?" Lily asked.

Cailee glanced back at Professor Keller, who had returned her attention to the student.

"Please," Lily added.

Seeing Lily again brought up a rush of bitterness and feelings that Cailee had tried shoving down. They had barely been together, but Cailee had really liked her.

"No," Cailee said and pulled her arm out of Lily's grasp. "I don't want to."

Lily looked hurt but not surprised by her rejection. Without another word, Cailee turned around and walked away. The bitterness and anger sat behind her chest and didn't lessen for the rest of the day.

---------

A week of classes had gone by, and Cailee didn't see Lily again. Professor Keller was still limping on Friday, but she seemed to be fine otherwise. The lectures had already begun, along with the assignments, to Cailee's displeasure.

Professor Keller didn't make any attempts to talk to her about Lily, and other than a few glances, everything between them seemed tolerable. Cailee could do tolerable, so she reluctantly decided to not drop the class.

She even called Alice to tell her, but Alice didn't pick up. In fact, Alice had not picked up any of her phone calls or answer any of her messages for the entire week. Lola tried calling Alice as well to no avail, and she was in London so she couldn't check on their friend. It was Saturday morning now, and Cailee contemplated on making the drive back to their hometown to check on her.

As she began to pack her bags, she finally got a call from Alice and immediately picked up.

"Where have you been?" Cailee immediately said without giving her a chance to speak. "Lola and I have been calling and texting you nonstop. We thought something might have happened, and I was just about to drive down there to --"

A sniffle from Alice made Cailee pause. She gripped the phone tightly as concern gnawed at her chest.

"I'm downstairs. Can you let me in?" Alice rasped, her voice too quiet and lacking any of the spark that usually accompanied it.

Cailee dropped the shirt she had been about to pack and immediately rushed out of the dorm.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she punched the elevator button. With barely anyone in the building, the doors immediately slid open, and she stepped in.

"No," Alice said weakly. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Yes," Cailee immediately answered.

"Please don't ask me anything when you see me."

The elevator doors opened, and Cailee stepped out and moved towards the front doors. Her brows furrowed, and already, a question sat on her throat. Then she made it to the double doors, where she saw Alice standing outside, her back towards the door.

With the phone still pressed to her ear, Cailee pushed the door open, and Alice turned around.

The question she had before died in her throat, and instead, her thoughts dissipated as rage began to fill her. There was a large, purple bruise on Alice's cheek, just right below her left eye. Then, Cailee's gaze fell to Alice's hand that was holding her phone and saw several, smaller bruises that littered her arm. They looked like the size of fingerprints.

Tears were rushing down Alice's cheeks, and her eyes were puffy as if she had been crying for days. A different question started to form in Cailee's mind now, but as she thought about the last phone call they had and how Alice had sounded when Cailee mentioned Asher, the answer became quite clear.

More questions began to form after that, but she swallowed it all down.

"You can stay for as long as you like," Cailee said instead.

A sob broke past Alice's lips, and she rushed forward to collide into Cailee's chest. Immediately, Cailee wrapped her arms around her best friend and felt her own tears began to form as Alice cried into her chest.

Out of their friend group, Alice had always been the strongest one. She kept them together and comforted her and Lola. Alice never liked talking about her feelings, even to them, her closest friends, and they knew never to push her. Cailee had only seen Alice cry once after her mom's funeral, and even then, she never talked to them about how she felt after losing her mom.

But this was different. He had hurt Alice deeply enough for her to break down like this, and Cailee wanted to hurt him back.

"I'm sorry." Alice pulled her away as she wiped her tears. "I should go. I don't know why I --"

Cailee pulled her back into her chest, silencing her. "You're staying with me. End of story."

Alice didn't argue, and more sobs racked her body immediately afterwards.

---------

Several hours later, Alice was asleep in Cailee's bed. Her eyes were even more swollen after sobbing until there were no more tears left to cry, and her sobs had gradually quieted down to sniffles before she fell asleep.

Cailee had continued to hold her for a while until she was sure Alice wouldn't wake up if she moved. Then she grabbed her laptop and books from her bag and climbed back onto the bed to do her homework. She was unable to fully focus on the reading for Professor Keller's class, however, as her mind kept drifting back to Asher. He had seemed so nice, and Cailee hated herself for not seeing any warning signs.

She wanted to break his face.

Alice shifted on the bed, and Cailee turned to see her eyes peeling open. Alice looked up at her for a brief moment before she let out a small breath and closed her eyes again. Setting her homework on the bedside table, Cailee laid down beside her.

"How bad does it look?" Alice rasped.

Cailee reached out to tentatively brushed her fingers across her cheek near the bruise. Alice's face twitched with a wince, and she reopened her eyes to look at her.

"How long has this been going on?" Cailee asked.

Alice closed her eyes once again and rolled over to her other side, giving Cailee her back. "You said you wouldn't ask questions."

"You asked me to, but I never agreed," Cailee said.

"Well, I don't want to talk about it."

"You have to talk to someone."

Alice remained quiet. Sighing, Cailee rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.

"Do you want Thai for dinner?" Cailee asked instead.

There was a Thai restaurant downtown that was Alice's favorite restaurant. She glanced over at Alice who only responded with a slow nod.

"Okay." Cailee rolled out of bed and stood. "I'll be back soon. Just promise me you won't leave."

Alice remained silent and didn't nod again. Cailee walked to the other side of the bed and knelt down beside it. Alice's eyes were still open, and she didn't look away when Cailee met her gaze.

"Promise me," Cailee pleaded. "We don't even have to talk about it, okay?"

Slowly, Alice's cracked lips parted. "I promise."

Relieved, Cailee closed her eyes and sighed. A moment later, she felt Alice's fingers on her cheek, and warm tingles began to flutter in the deepest pit of her stomach. Her eyes slowly opened again.

"Thank you," Alice whispered. "I'm lucky to have you as a friend."

Chest throbbing, Cailee swallowed tightly. Then Alice withdrew her fingers and closed her eyes. Cailee rose on unsteady legs and forced herself to leave the room.

---------

Cailee tried to process her feelings on the way there, but she was still so confused. She couldn't have feelings for Alice, but what had she been feeling then?

Why had she been so disappointed when Alice called her a friend? For as long as they had known each other, Cailee had never had feelings for Alice. To her, Alice had always been just a friend, her best friend.

Besides, she was still hung up on Lily. At the thought of Lily, Cailee felt the familiar pang in her chest, and she decided that it wasn't that she had feelings for Alice. She was just looking to move on from Lily, and Alice was the closest person, perhaps.

No, that had to be it.

She settled on that conclusion just as the food was ready. Cailee paid for the food and left the restaurant. As she walked back to her car, she passed by Hut's and immediately backtracked.

Alice's favorite dessert was chocolate chip waffles and strawberry ice cream, but the ice cream had to be the ones that had strawberry in them. Cailee decided to order the waffles from Hut's and get some ice cream from the store on the way back.

As soon as she entered the small restaurant, however, she regretted her decision. Professor Keller was standing inside, waiting for her order. She looked different outside of the classroom, dressed in a black hoodie and loose jeans. Professor Keller briefly glanced over at Cailee before doing a double-take and fully looked at her again.

Cailee considered leaving, but she felt like that would make things more awkward. Looking away from the professor, she walked up to the cashier and placed her order.

"That's a good choice," Professor Keller said when Cailee moved over to the pick up area after paying. "It's one of my favorites from here."

"It's not for me," Cailee said more tersely than she intended to, but it was too late to take it back.

"Oh."

"I don't like waffles," Cailee added in an attempt to lessen the tension.

"So you're more of a pancake person?"

"I don't like pancakes either."

Professor Keller raised a questioning brow. "Not a breakfast person, are you?"

"No, I like breakfast." She shrugged. "I just don't like sweets."

"Not even a chocolate bar?"

"Okay, well, not all sweets, I guess. I like Hershey's."

"Which kind?"

"Cookies and cream."

Professor Keller grinned. "Good choice. You know, they have cookies and cream waffles here."

"I saw."

One of the employees brought out Professor Keller's order, who thanked him as she took the bag.

Then she turned back to Cailee. "Give it a try the next time you come back."

"Sure," Cailee said even though she didn't intend on trying it at all.

Satisfied, Professor Keller moved towards the door. She was still limping slightly, but the cuts on her face looked like they were beginning to heal.

Without thinking, Cailee stepped towards her. "Hey, um..."

Hand on the door, Professor Keller glanced back at her.

Cailee pushed on. "How are you feeling after the, um, the accident?"

Professor Keller turned to lean her back on the door and gave a slight shrug. "My body is still sore, but other than that, I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

Cailee awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, sure. I hope you feel better."

Her professor smiled as her eyes softened. "Thank you, Cailee. I appreciate that."

"Yep." Feeling even more awkward, she glanced back at the pickup area, but her food had not come out yet.

"Have a good rest of your weekend," Professor Keller said as she pushed the door open. "Don't forget to finish the reading, and I'll see you in class on Monday."

Cailee began to scowl at the reminder, and Professor Keller shot her one last grin before leaving.

----------

Alice was not in the bedroom when Cailee got back. Panic began to rise in her until she heard sounds coming from the bathroom. Setting the food down on the kitchen counter, Cailee began to unpack the boxes from the bag and set out the plates and silverware.

She finished just as Alice stepped out of the bathroom. Cailee looked up and immediately all of her thoughts dissipated. Alice had changed into one of Cailee's shorts and graphic tees, which hung loosely on her body and stopped past her waist from her shorter frame. She had brushed her damp, blonde hair to one side, and Cailee's gaze trailed down to her slender neck.

"You don't mind if I borrow your clothes, do you?" Alice said, and Cailee blinked rapidly as she tried to regain control over her thoughts again.

"No, I don't mind," Cailee managed to say. "I brought waffles."

"But you don't like waffles."

"It's for you," Cailee said quietly as Alice moved towards her. "It's chocolate chip, and I got some strawberry ice cream for it too."

"The ones with strawberries?"

Cailee nodded.

Smiling, Alice stepped up to her tippy toes and pressed a quick kiss to Cailee'e cheek as she passed. "You're the best."

Cailee's breath stopped in her chest, and her cheek tingled.

Oblivious, Alice began to divvy up the food onto their plates. "I'll split it evenly this time."

"Don't worry about it," Cailee said quietly. "You should eat."

Alice glanced up with a smirk. "You too. You need to eat for energy to pass those classes and graduate with Lola and I next year."

"If I pass Professor Keller's class."

"You will." Finished, Alice pushed a plate towards her and leaned against the counter as she pulled the other plate towards herself. "I'll help you."

"Help me?" Cailee bit down on a laugh when Alice shot her a glare. "You barely passed your intro English class, and you had an easier professor."

"Excuse me!" Alice gasped and shoved her. Cailee laughed. "That was only because I barely showed up to class, and you know it."

"Sure."

"I'll show you." A challenging glint shone in Alice's eyes, and Cailee was relieved to see it.

"Maybe you can help me decipher the reading for Monday," Cailee said.

"You say it like it's some ancient text."

"It might as well be."

"Cailee, it's American literature from like, the twentieth century."

"Sounds pretty ancient to me."

Grinning, Alice shook her head. "You're hopeless."

"That's why I have you." The words fell out of Cailee's mouth before she could even think, and her eyes widened after she realized what she had said.

Alice raised a brow.

"You know, because you're not hopeless," Cailee said in an attempt to save her blunder. "So we make a good team."

"Right."

Cailee shoved a spoonful of rice into her mouth to silence herself.

Alice smiled amusingly. "You're not completely hopeless, though. You got me my favorite dinner and dessert."

Cailee shoved another spoonful into her mouth.

"Slow down or you'll choke," Alice laughed and then immediately winced from the pain.

Quickly swallowing, Cailee moved towards her. She reached out and gently brushed her fingers against her cheek. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Alice shook her head. "No."

Cailee looked into her hazel eyes and frowned. "Liar."

"How do you know I'm lying?"

"The corner of your eyes twitch whenever you lie," she answered and was immediately surprised by her admittance. Cailee had realized it years ago, but she had never voiced it aloud.

Even Alice looked surprised. "Wait, really?"

Cailee could only nod.

"Damn." Slowly, Alice smiled again. "There goes my dream of becoming a secret agent."

Cailee lowered her hand, but then Alice grasped it in hers and raised it up to examine. "You have artist hands. I've never noticed."

Heart racing, Cailee swallowed tightly. "What does that mean?"

Rather than elaborating, Alice merely shrugged and released her hand before shifting her attention to her food. Cailee wanted to ask her again what she meant, but then Alice shifted the conversation onto a random topic about the latest movies.

After dinner, they ended up on the couch in the living room, their feet propped up on the table as they watched one of those latest films. It was a melodrama about a couple who liked each other but were bad at communicating it, so they were with everyone else but each other. Alice had eaten half of her waffle and ice cream, but she became so engrossed in the film that she had abandoned it. The bowl sat on her lap with the ice cream mostly melted.

"It's so sad," Alice said, and Cailee looked up from the bowl to her face. "They both love each other but are too scared to say anything."

Cailee turned her attention back to the screen. "They're afraid of ruining their friendship because that means they'll lose each other."

She felt Alice's gaze on her and turned her head to meet it.

"Sometimes you have to take a risk," Alice said quietly.

"Even if it costs you everything?"

"For the chance of being with the person you love? I would."

"I wouldn't," Cailee said and looked back at the screen. "Some risks aren't worth taking."

Alice turned back to the screen and didn't say anything else for the rest of the film. By the time the credits started rolling, Alice had fallen asleep.

Her head was leaning against Cailee's shoulder, and her lips were slightly parted. Cailee took the bowl off her lap and set it to the side. Alice's arms were loosely crossed against her chest, and Cailee gently pulled them away to help her relax. She set Alice's bruised arm on her own lap and tenderly brushed her fingers over the purple marks.

Some of the anger began to return, and she imagined what she would do to Asher if she ever saw him again. Maybe she would start by breaking his hands.

"Did they end up together?" Alice's voice jerked Cailee back to the present. Cailee began to withdrew her fingers from her arm, but then Alice shook her head and snuggle deeper against her. "No, don't stop. That feels good."

Feeling Alice's breath against her neck, nerves rolled like waves in Cailee's stomach, but she resumed brushing her fingers gently down Alice's arm.

"No," Cailee finally answered. "They don't end up together. He dies in an accident, and she ends up not going through the wedding with her fiance."

Alice sighed with disappointment, fanning Cailee's neck with her warm breath. Cailee's eyes fluttered closed.

"That's depressing," Alice murmured.

"Mhmm."

"Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"What?"

"That some risks aren't worth taking," Alice elaborated. "Did you mean it?"

Cailee shrugged. "Yeah."

Honestly, she wasn't sure if she really meant it, but she thought about these new feelings she was starting to have for Alice. It was starting to scare her, and she knew that she couldn't pursue them or she would lose her best friend. Cailee didn't know what she would do if she lost Alice.

Alice didn't say anything else, and they stayed there together until they both fell asleep.

----------

Two more weeks of classes passed by, and Cailee was constantly busy with homework. She barely registered that it was the first week of June now.

History ended up being her roughest class, with lectures that didn't help at all and dense readings that made her want to pull her hair out. Surprisingly, literature was her easiest class, but maybe that also had something to do with Alice sticking to her words and helping her.

Cailee ended up enjoying her readings for Professor Keller's class, and she always looked forward to going through the readings with Alice.

Alice had picked up a campus job last week, working the front desk at the student center for about twenty hours a week. It seemed like she intended on staying for the rest of the summer, and Cailee didn't mind at all. She liked having Alice here.

Her feelings for Alice also seemed to be simmering down, fortunately, and Cailee readily dismissed them as moments of weakness from loneliness. She had not been with anyone in a while, and with Alice sleeping in the same bed with her now, she was unable to satisfy herself. While her feelings for Alice were beginning to die down, she was growing more sexually frustrated instead. Cailee didn't know which was worse.

"Lets go out tonight," Alice suggested Friday night as they sat on the couch, thinking about what to eat for dinner.

Cailee turned her head to meet her excited gaze. "What, like to a bar?"

Alice laughed. "No, like lets grab dinner somewhere downtown, but we can definitely hit the bars after if you want."

It had been a while since they went out, and Cailee didn't feel like cooking anyway.

"Sure," she said. "Why not."

Excited, Alice hopped off the couch and grabbed Cailee's hand to pull her up too. "I'll have to borrow your clothes though."

Grinning, Cailee rolled her eyes. "What else is new?"

Alice shot her a playful glare over her shoulder.

It took Alice about an hour to decide on what to wear, and she finally settled on a black, sleeveless crop and jeans that she had to roll up due to Cailee's taller height. She looked a little unsettling in Cailee's clothes but also really good at the same time. Cailee had to force her gaze away several times whenever she caught herself staring a little too long at Alice's toned arms and neck.

She definitely needed to get laid.

"Oooh, what about Lane's?" Alice suggested and stopped in front of the restaurant. Their arms were currently looped together, so Cailee was brought to a stop too.

Lane's was a small diner with food that Cailee found mediocre but knew that Alice liked.

"Sure," Cailee said.

Alice grinned, and they both headed into the diner, which was mostly empty except for a few customers. Alice pulled Cailee towards a booth by the windows. Cailee pulled her arm away to take the seat across from Alice, but to her surprise, Alice pulled her down next to her.

"It's easier to talk like this," Alice merely said as she picked up the menu to look at.

Swallowing, Cailee buried her attention into the menu as well, but it was hard to focus when all she could think about was Alice's thigh pressed against hers.

"Hey, are you guys ready to order?"

Cailee pulled her gaze up, but as she looked at their waitress, her mind was empty. She still didn't know what she wanted.

"Can I get the patty melt with sweet potato fries?" Alice ordered. "Same thing for her but with cajun fries instead and bacon on her patty melt."

Cailee snapped her head over to look at Alice, who folded her hands together on the table. Her lips were tightened into a thin line, and she didn't meet Cailee's eyes.

"Will that be all for you?" Their waitress asked.

"Yes, thank you," Alice answered curtly and averted her gaze out the window.

The waitress picked up their menus and left to put in their orders.

"Thanks for ordering for me," Cailee said. "I wasn't sure what to get."

"Yeah, you seemed a little distracted." There was something in Alice's tone that made Cailee frown.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired," Alice muttered without looking at her still.

Just tired. Cailee had heard her say that so many times before when she didn't want to talk about something. Usually, Cailee would have given her space, but this time, she wanted to keep pushing, especially since she felt like she had somehow caused Alice's switch in mood.

"Did I do something?" Cailee decided to ask.

Alice didn't answer.

"Alice."

"Just drop it. It's nothing."

"It doesn't seem like nothing."

Alice remained quiet after that, and frustrated, Cailee left the booth. She headed towards the jukebox instead and scrolled through the list of songs to distract herself.

Most of the songs were older ones with a few modern, pop ones scattered throughout. Despite herself, Cailee's mind was pulled back to Alice, who usually listened to many of the older songs.

"Hey."

Cailee turned to see the waitress behind her.

"So the kitchen ran out of bacon for your patty melt," the waitress said. "Would you prefer something else?"

"No, it's fine." Cailee shook her head with a polite smile. "I can go without the bacon."

The waitress smiled in relief. "Okay, I'll go ahead with your order then."

She turned to head back towards the kitchen, but then a sudden thought came to Cailee. "Hey, do you guys have milkshakes?"

"We have a few."

Cailee asked her to list the ones that they offered and placed in an order for two milkshakes.

Before the waitress left for the kitchen, she glanced over at Alice, who was still staring out the window. "You two look cute together."

Cailee's eyes widened. "Oh, we're not -- she and I -- we're just friends."

The waitress glanced between Cailee and Alice in confusion. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you both..."

"Nope. She's my best friend."

Shrugging, the waitress smiled. "Well, you two look like good friends."

"Thanks. She's the best." Cailee looked over to Alice and was surprised to see her already staring at her with a small frown.

Reminded of Alice's anger towards her for some unknown reason, Cailee turned back to the jukebox as the waitress left. She scrolled through a couple more songs and decided to put in a dollar to play "Something" by The Beatles.

Then she made her way back to the booth and slid in next to Alice, who had returned to staring out the window.

"Are you going to stay mad at me the entire night?" Cailee asked.

"I'm not mad at you," Alice muttered and crossed her arms defensively.

Cailee leaned against the table and propped her head onto her fist as she stared at Alice. "Then why won't you look at me?"

Alice finally turned to meet her gaze with her own defiant ones.

"Now, was that so hard?" Cailee grinned lazily.

Alice huffed out a breath and leaned against the seat, but she didn't look away again. "I like this song."

"I know."

For a beat, they just stared at each other as the song continued to play in the background.

Alice had covered up most of the bruises with makeup, but Cailee still saw a hint of it up close. She knew that underneath the makeup, though, the bruises had mostly faded. The ones on her arm were gone at least.

It had been weeks since then, but Alice still avoided the subject. Cailee gave up on talking about it altogether.

"This was my parents' wedding song," Alice said quietly, and Cailee sat up straighter.

She didn't know that.

Alice averted her gaze to the table. "I remember seeing them dance together to this song a few times. I would sit on the stairs and watch them, and I remembered thinking I wanted to find a love like theirs."

Then Alice's lips tightened, and she blinked rapidly as if she was trying to push back the tears.

"You will," Cailee said firmly. "Right now, there's a guy out there who's thinking the exact same thing as you, and one day, you two will find each other, and he will become the luckiest man to have found you. And you two will be each other's greatest love just like your parents."

Alice looked at her again, surprised by the surety in her voice. Cailee was surprised by her outburst as well, but she meant every word. Alice may not have had much luck with her relationships so far, but Cailee believed that she would find the right guy one day. It was impossible not to fall in love with Alice.

The waitress came back and set the two milkshakes down on the table. "Here are those milkshakes for ya'll."

Alice looked up at their waitress with furrowed brows.

"I ordered them," Cailee quickly said and pushed the milkshake she got for Alice towards her. "I asked them to mix the strawberry and chocolate for you. I hope it's good. If not, you can have mine."

Cailee had ordered herself a cookies and cream milkshake, and she pulled the glass towards herself. Alice continued to stare at Cailee, who turned to meet her gaze.

"What if..." Alice hesitated but then pushed on. "What if I already found the person?"

"Who?" Cailee took a sip from her milkshake. It was a little on the sweeter side, but it was good.

Alice opened her mouth to answer, but then their waitress returned with their food.

"How are those milkshakes?" The waitress asked and then looked pointedly at Alice's glass. "I'm curious about that one. I like chocolate and strawberry but never thought to mix them together."

Cailee turned to Alice, who finally took a sip from her glass. Then Alice leaned back and nodded. "It's really good."

The waitress turned to Cailee with a grin. "I guess I gotta give it a try then."

Cailee returned a smile. "I hope it doesn't disappoint."

"I doubt that it will." She gave Cailee a wink before walking away.

Beside her, Alice scoffed and then pushed her milkshake away. Cailee's attention snapped back to Alice, who was frowning again.

"Is something wrong?" Cailee asked.

"No," Alice grumbled a reply as she picked up a fry and shoved it in her mouth.

"I feel like I did something to upset you, but you won't tell me what it is," Cailee said frustratingly.

"You didn't do anything."

"Then why are you so moody?"

"What, I can't be moody?"

"No. I'm usually the moody one," Cailee said. "And you're the optimistic, happy --"

"What if I'm tired of being the happy one all the fucking time?" Alice snapped, and turned to glare at her. Cailee's eyes widened in surprise, but Alice continued, unable to hold back any longer. "I never force you to talk about your feelings when you're in one of your moods, but god forbid, I stop smiling for one second, and you all act like I'll break."

"Alice --"

"I never asked for this." Alice gestured to the milkshake, her face scrunched up in anger. "I never asked for you to comfort me. I never asked for a place to stay."

"What are you talking about?" Cailee exasperated. "You know I don't expect anything from you, so why are you saying all of this? You're my best friend, and I--"

"Let me out."

"What?"

"Let. Me. Out," Alice gritted.

Cailee remained unmoving. "No, we have to talk about this. Why are you --"

Alice shoved her. "Let me out! I'm going home!"

Shocked, Cailee could only stare at her in silence, and Alice shoved her again. "Move!"

When Cailee still didn't move, Alice shoved her again, and this time, Cailee grabbed her arms. "Alice, stop."

Alice struggled against her as tears welled up in her eyes. "Let me go!"

"Alice, please," Cailee begged. "Please just talk to me."

Their waitress walked up to the table with a concerned expression. "Is something wrong?"

"You wanna talk?" Alice shot a glare at their waitress. "Talk to her, but I'm going home!"

Cailee glanced back at the waitress with an apologetic expression, and Alice managed to yank her hands out of her grasp. Then Alice stood up on the seat and quickly stepped over Cailee and onto the ground.

"Wait, Alice --" Cailee slid out of the booth and struggled to pull out her wallet at the same time.

"Go," the waitress said. "It's on the house."

"Are you sure?" Cailee asked but glanced towards the door, where Alice was already leaving from.

"Yes," she answered. "Go after her."

Cailee didn't hesitate. She rushed after Alice, bursted through the door, and stepped out into the summer night. It was drizzling heavily outside, and Cailee wiped the rain off her face as she glanced around. She found Alice speed-walking towards the bus stop, and she ran after her.

"Leave me alone!" Alice shouted over her shoulder.

"No!" Cailee shouted back and then caught up to her. "Not until you tell me what's going on!"

Stopping, Alice whirled around to glare at her. "How many fucking times do I have to tell you that I don't want to talk about it!"

"Then talk to your dad! Talk to Lola! Hell, talk to a stranger!" Cailee snapped as she took a step towards her. "Talk to someone, and stop trying to hold everything in!"

"There's no point!" Alice shouted. "No one will understand anyway. All anyone will do is look at me like I'm some fragile doll."

Cailee took another step towards her, swallowing tightly. "Then help us understand. I want to understand."

"Fine. You want to understand?" Alice glared down at the ground. "My dad can barely look at me because I look too much like my mom, and sometimes I hear him cry at night because he misses her. Meanwhile, I'm so focused on finding the right person that I keep jumping from one relationship to the next, and I really thought Asher might have been the one.

"He seemed so perfect that even when he hit me the first time, I believed that he wouldn't do it again, and I hated that I became one of those women that I told myself I would never be. I was so ashamed that I couldn't go home. I didn't want my dad to see what had happened because I knew it would only break his heart even more, so I went to you. And you..."

Tears were running down Alice's cheeks now and mixed in with the rain that had grown heavier.

"What?" Cailee whispered as she took another step towards her. "What about me?"

"You..." Alice looked up at her again, and her eyes roamed Cailee's face as if she was searching for something. "I think it's time I go home."

Cailee shook her head. "Don't go."

"Why do you even want me to stay?" Alice muttered.

The answer was clear to Cailee now. It sat on her tongue, but she bit down on it. She had been trying so hard to dismiss her feelings, but it was obvious to her now that she liked Alice. She liked Alice so much her chest hurt at the thought of her leaving.

"Because," Cailee started as she tried to think of another reason. "You're my best friend, and I don't want you to be alone through all of this. I want to be here for you even if you may not want me to."

As all reasons went, Cailee thought this was a good one, but disappointment filled Alice's expression.

Alice looked away again and took several steps away. "Well, I want to be alone now, so I'm going home. Thanks for letting me crash here and for everything else."

Cailee stepped towards her. "Please don't go."

"You're a good friend, Cailee," Alice said. "I'll text you when I'm ready to talk."

Then Alice turned around and walked away. Cailee, the coward she was, stayed rooted in place, unable to say the words she really wanted to say. The rain continued to drench her body, but she stayed there for a long time before she found the energy to move again.

When Cailee returned to the dorm, it was empty, but of course it was. Even if Alice decided to return, she didn't have the key to get inside. Dejected and heartbroken, Cailee peeled the rain-soaked clothes off her body and slid into bed. As she laid in bed by herself, the tears came to her, then.

---------

A week passed by, and Cailee felt like a zombie throughout. She had grown used to having Alice around, and now it felt like there was a hole in her chest without Alice's presence.

It was Friday when Professor Keller asked Cailee to stay behind after class.

"So what's going on?" Professor Keller asked as she leaned against her desk.

Cailee tightened her grip on her backpack's strap and shifted uneasily on her feet. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you didn't participate in any of the discussions all week, and you haven't looked well either," she elaborated with a concerned expression. "I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing."

"You check in with all of your students or just certain ones?" Cailee said tersely.

Professor Keller's jaw tightened and pulsed, and Cailee immediately regretted what she had said and the implication of it.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I've just been going through something. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"I don't blame you for hating me," Professor Keller said tensely. "But I want to assure you that this is just a check in. I would do it for any student who looked like they were on the verge of having a mental breakdown."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Professor Keller's face relaxed. "You have been doing well in the class discussions so far, and I've been impressed with your reflection papers."

Cailee shrugged and looked down at the ground as she felt the inkling of tears. "I had a little help with the readings."

"But the work is your own?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Good. Then whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

"I can't," Cailee muttered.

"Why not?" she asked gently.

There was something in her tone, an openness, that made it easy for her to talk to.

"The friend who's been helping me doesn't want to talk to me anymore," Cailee answered and then felt a tear slip out. She quickly wiped it away. "It sounds stupid. I know."

"No, it's not stupid," Professor Keller said. "Friendships are important just like any other relationships. You two must be really close."

More tears were beginning to slide out, and a box of tissue entered her blurry vision as Profesor Keller held it out to her. Cailee took the box and pulled out a tissue to wipe her eyes.

"She's my best friend since forever," Cailee said. "And right now, she hates me, and I don't know why."

"Have you tried asking her?"

"She won't talk to me," Cailee said bitterly. "She doesn't like to talk about her feelings."

Professor nodded. "It sounds like she's afraid of being vulnerable. I can understand that."

"It's frustrating."

"In cases like this, pushing her to talk will only drive her further away."

"So then what do I do?"

Professor Keller fell silent in thought, and Cailee reluctantly looked back up. Her tears had slowed, and she wiped the remainder of them away.

"Just let her know you're still there and that you still care," Professor Keller finally said.

Cailee frowned. "That's it?"

"Yep."

"But she knows that I care."

Professor Keller shrugged. "Yeah, but right now, she might be finding it hard to see that after pushing you away. She might even think that you hate her, so it will be difficult for her to reach out to you again. You can help her by reaching out first."

"She won't pick up any of my phone calls."

"Then go to her."

"I have one more class after this."

Professor Keller crossed her arms and smiled amusingly. "Do you really care about your next class?"

Cailee quirked up a brow. "Professor Keller, are you suggesting that I skip my next class?"

"Some exceptions could be made."

"Says the one who showed up to class after getting hit by a car."

Professor Keller laughed. "You've got a point, but I think friendships are more important than a few cuts and bruises."

Cailee thought about Alice, and her stomach fluttered in response. "I think you might be right about that."

"Don't let her get away," Professor Keller said gently. "Life's too short."

Nodding, Cailee handed back the box of tissue and made her way to the door. "Thank you, Professor."

"Of course."

Cailee made it just out the door just as Lily arrived from down the hall. Lily was holding a lunch bag and stopped. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Cailee moved towards her.

"Hey," Cailee said.

Lily blinked in surprise. "Hey."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm, um, how are you?" Lily stammered.

Cailee glanced over her shoulder at Professor Keller, who was watching them with a small smile. "I'm doing better now."

Lily looked between Cailee and her girlfriend in confusion, but Cailee didn't elaborate. Instead, she smiled and continued moving.

"I'll see you around, Lily," Cailee said.

"Oh, um, see ya."

Without looking back, Cailee moved towards the exit with one person and a single goal in her mind only.

---------

The drive back to their hometown was a three-and-a-half-hour drive, but Cailee had to stop by the dorm to grab some clothes and her keys. By the time she left, it was close to 5pm. She only stopped once for gas and an energy drink.

It was around 8pm when she arrived at Alice's farmhouse, which was only a fifteen minute drive from her own home. Cailee pulled up to the driveway, and her stomach twisted when she didn't see Alice's car. Robert, Alice's dad, was sitting on the porch, however, strumming his acoustic guitar casually.

The image sent a nostalgic pang through Cailee's chest as she remembered the many times she, Alice, and Lola had sat out on the porch, watching him play the guitar.

Robert set the guitar aside as she walked up to him.

"Cailee, aren't you supposed to be on campus?" he asked in surprise.

"Hi, Robert," she said. "I came to see Alice. I had to tell her something."

He stared at her with furrowed brows. "Don't you two have phones for that?"

"Yes, but it's important," she answered. "I wanted to tell her in person."

For a beat longer, Robert stared at her in silence, and she shifted on her feet. Then he leaned back in his chair as his lips lifted into an amused smile.

"Well, you'll be disappointed because she's not here."

Cailee's heart dropped. "Where is she?"

Immediately, her mind went to Asher, and she clenched her fists. No, Alice couldn't have. She wouldn't be so dense enough to --

"She went back to campus to talk to you," Robert said. "Left a few hours ago actually." Cailee's focus snapped back to him. "Cell phones. One of the greatest inventions, and you two failed to use it."

"But I... I wanted to surprise her."

Robert picked up the guitar again and set it on his lap. "Funny. She said the same thing before leaving."

He strummed a few notes as she stared at him. Now what?

Suddenly, Cailee's phone rang, and she immediately picked up once she saw Alice's name flash on the screen. Robert smirked knowingly but continued to strum quietly.

"Hey," Alice breathed into the phone, and Cailee's chest clenched tightly at the sound of her voice again. "I know this is sudden, but are you at the dorm?"

"No." Cailee swallowed.

"I came to see you." Alice said. "I realized how immature and stupid I was acting, and I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have said the things I did. God, Cailee, I don't even know what I was thinking."

"Alice --"

"You're my best friend, and you were just trying to help me but I pushed you away because I was so scared."

"What were you scared of?"

"Where are you?" Alice asked. "I want to see you."

"So here's the thing..."

"Is that a guitar?"

"Um..."

"Wait..."

"I really wished I had called you before."

"Please tell me you didn't," Alice huffed in disbelief.

"I kinda, sorta did." Cailee bit down on her lip. "But you did too!"

"Oh my god."

"I'll drive back to campus," Cailee said.

"No," Alice quickly said. "I'll drive back to you."

"Alice, it's--"

"Please," she interrupted. "Please let me do this."

Cailee leaned against the porch railing. Robert began to hum a familiar tune, but in her distress, she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Okay," Cailee finally relented.

On the other end, Alice sighed in relief. "You can stay in my room. I'll be there soon."

"Please drive safe," Cailee said. "I can wait however long."

"Okay, I will."

Then Alice hung up, and Cailee pulled the phone away to stare at the dark screen. As Robert continued to hum, Cailee finally recognized it as his wedding song with his wife. She looked up at him, only to see his eyes closed as if he was lost in the memory of his wife.

She didn't want to interrupt his moment and instead, watched him quietly. The sun had finished setting when he strummed the last chord and stopped humming. He slowly opened his eyes again and gave Cailee a smile.

"You staying the night?" he asked.

"If it's no trouble. Alice is on the way back," Cailee said.

Robert shook his head as he stood up. "No trouble at all. Come on in. I'll order us a pizza."

Cailee ended up in the living room, watching an old sit-com with Robert as they waited for the pizza to arrive. When it finally did, they ate dinner while watching another two episodes.

Eventually, Cailee excused herself to go upstairs to Alice's room, which shot fond nostalgia through her when she stepped inside. It had been a while since she was here, but not much had changed. Unlike Cailee, Alice's room was neat and organized. She had a book shelf next to the wooden desk that sat in front of the window. Polaroids and pictures were taped neatly on the two walls beside the desk.

Cailee set her duffle bag on the floor in front of the small walk-in closet and sat down on the edge of the made queen-sized bed. She pulled out her phone and stared at it, faced with the temptation to call Alice and check in on her.

She ended up not going through with it in case Alice felt rushed. Instead, Cailee kicked off her shoes and laid down on the bed. She decided to pass time by scrolling through social media, but fell asleep not too long after when the exhaustion finally kicked in.

When Cailee woke up again, the room was filled with darkness except for the inkling of sunrise that spilled in through the window. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she finally registered the arms that enveloped her and the warm breath fanning the back of her neck and ear.

The feelings she had pushed down came rushing back up, and Cailee turned around to face her. Slowly, Alice's eyes peeled open, revealing the beautiful hazel orbs that Cailee had missed seeing.

"Hi," Cailee whispered.

"Hi," Alice whispered back.

"How was the drive?"

"Too long," Alice murmured. "Sorry I got back so late."

"It's okay."

Silence filled the room again as they stared at each other. Cailee was trying to calm down her heart, which was hammering inside her chest. She wasn't sure if Alice would be able to hear it, but she hoped not. She was working up the nerve to speak when Alice spoke first.

"I'm sorry," Alice apologized quietly. "I acted like a complete bitch to you, and you didn't deserve it."

"It's okay," Cailee said again. She didn't know what else to say now that Alice was in front of her with her arms still slung over Cailee's hips.

"Are you mad at me?" Alice asked hesitantly.

"No, I just missed you," the words rushed out of Cailee, and she immediately bit down on her tongue to stop herself from saying more.

Alice's eyes softened. "I missed you too."

Too much. Cailee's heart was beating too much, and she couldn't think straight.

Oblivious, Alice continued. "Don't be mad, but I talked to Lily. She made me realize how unfair I had treated you."

"You talked to Lily about us?" Cailee's eyes widened. "I talked to Professor Keller, and she gave me some advice too."

"Hold on, you talked to Professor Keller?" Alice propped herself up on an elbow and looked at her incredulously. "I thought you hated her."

"I did, or maybe I did. I don't know. She's not that bad."

Alice smirked. "Told you."

"Do you think Lily told her to talk to me?" Cailee asked.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Alice laid back down with a sigh. "But if she did, then I'm glad."

Strangely enough, Cailee was glad too.

"What advice did Nicole give you?" Alice asked.

Cailee tried to appear nonchalant as she shrugged. "Oh, you know, she just told me to let you know that I'm here for you and that I don't hate you."

"And do you hate me?" Alice asked unsurely.

"Never," Cailee breathed out immediately. "I could never hate you, Alice."

Alice broke her gaze. "I was afraid that I had pushed you too far."

"Why were you mad?" Cailee asked curiously. "I keep thinking about that night, and I still can't figure out what I did to upset you."

Alice shook her head. "You didn't do anything at all. It was all me. I just... it was stupid."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Cailee said gently. "But don't invalidate your feelings. Nothing you feel is stupid."

Alice's lips parted, but she didn't say anything.

Tired, Cailee closed her eyes. "Is it cool if we sleep some more?"

She also didn't want to leave the bed and the comfort of Alice's arm.

"Of course," Alice whispered. "I'm really glad to have you as my best friend."

Smiling, Cailee snuggled into her chest with a soft sigh. "Me too."

Soon after, they both fell asleep again.

----------

Cailee's home was a chaotic mess of noise and constant moving bodies in contrast to Alice's peaceful home. Cailee was the oldest out of her three other siblings, two of which, Jamie and Gracie, were fraternal seventeen-year-old twins. Penelope was the youngest, being only eight years old, but she was already turning out to be the biggest troublemaker.

Alice and Cailee entered the house for lunch, where they caught Penelope scribbling on the entryway walls. Caught red-handed, Penelope dropped the marker and ran away as Cailee chased after her.

Hearing the commotion, Naomi, their mom, popped out of the kitchen with an exasperated expression, which only worsened when she saw the ruined walls.

"Alice, I'm so sorry for all of this, but it is so lovely to see you again," Naomi said despite her distress.

"It's all good," Alice laughed. "I missed you guys."

Cailee returned, carrying a squirming Penelope.

"Penelope, stop that this instant!" Naomi yelled, and the little girl froze.

Grinning, Cailee set her sister down on her feet and grabbed Alice's hand as Naomi began scolding her youngest daughter. Cailee pulled Alice away from them and towards the stairs.

They passed the living room, where Gracie was sitting on the couch, watching a show.

"Hey, Alice," Gracie greeted without looking away from the screen.

Alice gave her a quick greet back as she continued to follow Cailee up the stairs. They passed by Jamie's closed door, where they heard loud shouting and video game sounds on the other side.

Then they finally arrived at Cailee's room, where Cailee pulled her in and closed the door.

"Sorry about that," Cailee sighed.

"It's alright." Grinning, Alice walked over to the bed and sat down on it. "I love your family."

"They're something." Cailee picked up the clothes off the floor and tossed them in the hamper. Her attention shifted to the mess of papers and books on her desk, and she crossed the room to organize them.

"You know I don't mind your mess," Alice said amusingly.

"Yeah, I know," Cailee muttered. She wasn't usually self-conscious about her mess, especially not with Alice and Lola, but she couldn't help but feel it now.

"Cailee, come sit."

"I'm almost done." She was actually far from it. There was just so much paper to sort through.

Alice slid off the bed and moved towards her. Cailee didn't even notice until Alice was right beside her. She quietly sucked in a breath when Alice placed a hand over hers.

"Come on," Alice laughed softly. She interlaced their fingers and pulled Cailee away from the desk.

Cailee let herself be dragged towards the bed, and even when they sat down, Alice didn't release her hand.

"So Lily told me you talked to her," Alice said.

"I just asked how she was doing."

"That's progress."

Cailee scowled and tried to withdraw her hand, but Alice tightened her grip.

"Hey, that's more than what you would have done two weeks ago," Alice said with a teasing smile.

"Yeah, well," Cailee said lamely.

"What changed?"

Cailee shrugged. She wasn't sure when the bitterness towards Lily had faded. Maybe it was after she talked to Professor Keller.

Maybe it was something or someone else, but she didn't want to think too much about that.

All she knew was that when she saw Lily yesterday, she didn't feel the same anger she had been feeling before.

"Remember that movie we watched a couple of weeks ago?" Alice suddenly asked.

"We watched a lot of movies."

"The one about the two best friends who were in love but waited too long to tell each other."

There was a look in Alice's gaze, an intensity that Cailee couldn't decipher. She remembered the film, and she had thought about it more since she began to have feelings for Alice.

"What about it?" Cailee asked as she looked away, no longer able to hold her gaze as the feelings bubbled up inside of her. She grew even more aware of Alice's fingers interlaced with hers and how soft and warm her hand was.

"I've been thinking about it a lot."

"You didn't even finish the movie."

"I rewatched it a couple days ago."

Cailee looked at her again, and then it was only for a split second, but she could have sworn she saw Alice's gaze lowered to her lips.

But it couldn't be. Alice was her best friend. Her very straight best friend.

"So what did you think of it?" Cailee asked.

"I think it's sad and incredibly stupid that the two of them took so long to let each other know how they felt," Alice answered, her voice lowered to almost a whisper.

Was she leaning closer? Cailee felt like she was, and she felt herself gravitate closer too.

"They didn't want to risk ruining their friendship," Cailee said in a low voice.

And she couldn't stop it when her eyes flickered to Alice's parted lips. They were a glossy pink. Cailee had never noticed how pink and soft her lips were before.

"I think you were wrong," Alice said, and Cailee forced her gaze back up, only to see Alice looking at her lips too. Cailee's heart pounded relentlessly. "They weren't afraid of ruining their friendship. They were afraid that they wouldn't be able to stop loving each other once they committed."

Cailee swallowed. "They were right to be afraid. She lost him in the end, and it broke her."

"But at least she had him before everything happened, and at least he knew that she loved him before he died. He still had her in his final moments."

"That's morbid."

"It's life," Alice said. "And life's too short for us to wait, you know? Lily told me that."

Cailee's brows furrowed as she began to lean back. "Professor Keller said a similar thing."

"I'm tired of waiting, Cailee." Alice's gaze raised to meet hers again.

Cailee's breath hitched when she saw the intensity in them. "Waiting for what?"

The corner of Alice's lips twitched upwards as she tilted her head. "You still don't know?"

"Know what?" she whispered. The conversation was completely flying over her head as her mind was consumed by thoughts of kissing Alice, of tasting and feeling her lips.

Then Alice leaned forward, and Cailee's eyes widened.

Suddenly, the door burst open just as Alice's lips brushed hers, and Cailee immediately jumped to her feet and pulled her hand out of Alice's grasp.

"Mom said lunch is ready!" Penelope shouted as she skipped around the room.

"What did I fucking tell you last time?" Cailee screamed out of frustration. "Knock on the door! It's closed for a reason, Penelope!"

Her younger sister stopped and glared at her defiantly. "Well, maybe you should lock your door if you want to kiss your girlfriend in private!"

Cailee narrowed her eyes murderously, and Penelope ran out the door. Cailee took after her, and Penelope screamed throughout the whole house as Cailee shouted at her.

Meanwhile, Alice stayed seated on the bed, fingers pressed to her lips as she smiled softly to herself.

-------------

Lunch with the Myers' was as chaotic as being in a bustling cafe during happy hour. Penelope kept bouncing and shifting around in her seat as she shoved food in her mouth. Gracie was telling her mom about some of the drama from school, but Naomi had to interrupt her several times to scold Penelope, which then caused Gracie to repeat herself several times.

Jamie had left the comfort of his room due to his mom's demand that he joined them for lunch, and so he sat at the table, grumpily shoving food into his mouth with headphones over his ears.

Naomi's husband, Simon, was still working at their auto shop, so he couldn't join them for lunch. Her dad was a very quiet man, so Cailee knew he was glad for it.

Meanwhile, Cailee was trying to avoid eye contact with Alice. She couldn't stop thinking about their almost kiss earlier. For just a brief millisecond, she had felt Alice's lips, and it had been everything she could have imagined and more. Her own lips still felt tingly.

Alice had not said anything about it. She was acting like nothing had happened, even going so far as to ask Cailee about her literature class while they helped set the table.

Cailee felt like she was going insane, especially when Alice's thigh was pressed against hers as they sat next to each other. Cailee tried moving her leg away. Then Alice crossed her legs on the chair, and Cailee felt her skin touch hers again. She glanced over at Alice, who ate quietly with a small smile on her face.

"How is your dad, Alice?" Naomi asked.

"He's good," Alice answered politely.

"It has been so long since we had you two over for dinner," Naomi said. "The next time Cailee comes home for the weekend, we'll do something. I didn't expect her to come home this weekend so suddenly."

Alice glanced over at Cailee, her smile widening. "That sounds great, Naomi. Thank you."

"Of course." Naomi's voice softened. "You and your father are like family, so don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything, okay?"

Alice nodded quietly and looked down at her plate as Penelope stole her mom's attention again. There was a distant look on Alice's face as she moved the food around on her plate, and Cailee reached under the table to place a comforting hand on hers. Alice looked over at her. Remembering the moment in her bedroom and feeling a sudden shyness, Cailee withdrew her hand, but then Alice quickly laced their fingers together and held it still on her lap.

Alice's gaze was filled with the same intensity as before, and Cailee's face flushed with heat as she quickly looked away, only to see her mom looking at her with curious eyes.

Cailee resorted to staring down at her plate instead.

They kept holding hands until they finished their lunch, and as Cailee stood up to help Jamie with the dishes, Alice finally released her hand. Still avoiding her gaze, Cailee followed Jamie into the kitchen.

Jamie still had his headphones on as he washed the dishes, and Cailee was lost in her thoughts as she helped rinse them. Naomi moved in and out of the kitchen, bringing them more dishes and packing away leftovers.

When it was just the two of them in the kitchen for a while, Jamie spoke for the first time since she saw him.

"So are you and Alice dating?" he asked.

Cailee snapped her attention to him, but his face was still fixed with nonchalance as he washed the dishes.

"No," Cailee quickly said and looked down at the bowl in her hand. "Of course not. She's not into girls. You know that."

"She seems into you."

Cailee thought about Alice leaning into her, her intense gaze as she looked at Cailee's lips.

Then she shook her head to get rid of the thought. "No, we're just friends."

Jamie shrugged but didn't say anything else. Once he was finished, he left the kitchen, but Cailee remained there. She could hear Alice and Gracie talking in the living room, and she didn't want to be faced with the conversation that needed to be had. She wasn't ready yet.

Naomi found her alone in the kitchen and leaned against the counter beside Cailee and crossed her arms. They both stood there quietly for a moment.

Then Naomi broke the silence. "Penelope said she saw you and Alice kissing."

Immediately, Cailee scowled as her face heated up. "We weren't kissing."

"You two seem awfully close."

"We're best friends, Mom. We've always been close."

"Closer than best friends." Naomi gave her a pointed look, and Cailee looked away. "Look, I always thought there might have been something more between you two, so I can't say I'm surprised."

"There's nothing going on between us," Cailee groaned. "Besides, she's straight."

Naomi smirked knowingly. "With how she looks at you?"

"She looks at me normally."

"Honey, you can't be this blind."

Cailee crossed her arms defensively but didn't have a response.

Sighing, Naomi pulled her in and kissed her temple. "Go talk to her before your sister talks her ear off."

Then Naomi let her go and left the kitchen. Cailee remained glaring at the floor as her mom's words rang in her head.

----------

When Cailee gathered her thoughts and courage, she finally left the kitchen to save Alice from her sister.

Except, Alice was already alone in the living room, and she was curled up on the couch watching a show on the TV. Alice didn't say anything as she turned her attention to Cailee.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Cailee asked.

For a moment, Alice didn't respond, and Cailee awkwardly shifted on her feet.

Finally, Alice nodded and slid off the couch. "Sure."

There was a slight breeze outside when they stepped out, and it was a relief from the summer heat. For a while, they just walked alongside each other in silence. Cailee was trying to organize her thoughts to figure out what to say. Everything felt like it had happened so fast, and she was still trying to process the possibility that Alice might actually have feelings for her.

They made it to the end of the neighborhood and began to wrap around when Alice broke the silence.

"I like you."

Cailee's feet came to a full stop, and Alice stopped too and looked at her. Cailee finally met her firm gaze.

"I have liked you for a while," Alice elaborated. "But I couldn't tell you before."

All of the words and thoughts that Cailee had been trying to organize before disappeared. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

"But something feels different now, doesn't it?" Alice took a step towards her, but Cailee was still frozen in place. "I get the feeling that you like me too."

No matter how much she tried to think of something to say, her mind remained blank, but her heart was pounding faster now.

"Please don't tell me I'm wrong," Alice said quietly, and her expression grew hesitant and vulnerable.

"But you're straight," Cailee finally blurted out.

Slowly, Alice's lips stretched into an amused smile. "All of my serious relationships have been with guys, yeah, but I never said I was straight. I've kissed a few girls."

Cailee's eyes widened. "When?"

Alice raised a brow. "You really wanna hear me tell you about the girls I've kissed?"

The sudden thought of Alice kissing someone else made her stomach twist. She had seen her kiss others multiple times, and she never felt anything until now. Alice was right. Something was different now.

"When did you start liking me?" Cailee asked.

Alice glanced at her lips, not even bothering to hide her desire anymore. "Sophomore year of high school. Before you came out to Lola and I."

That felt like ages ago. All this time...

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cailee asked.

"That I like girls or that I like you?"

"Both."

Alice took a step towards her, and Cailee's gaze flickered down to her lips. Alice smirked. "Well, you had the biggest crush on Gwen Scott in sophomore year. I didn't want to risk our friendship, but it drove me fucking crazy how much you worshipped her."

Cailee felt her face heat up. "I didn't worship her."

"You gave her your favorite jacket on a rainy day," Alice scoffed. "And she never gave it back to you."

She had completely forgotten about that. She really did like that jacket, but then...

"You got me the same jacket for Christmas..." Cailee trailed off as she thought about other moments that had seemed so small but were so obvious now.

Alice took one more step forward, and the toes of their shoes touch. "I never told you I liked girls because I was afraid you would find out my feelings for you. I wasn't that subtle, you know. Even Lola guessed it."

"Hold on." Cailee stepped back in surprise. "Lola knew?"

"And my mom," Alice added quietly.

Cailee's chest squeezed tightly, and she stepped towards Alice, who tentatively took Cailee's hand in hers.

"Cailee."

"Yeah?"

"I really want to kiss you," Alice said as she stared at Cailee's lips but didn't move. She wanted Cailee to make the first move. She needed her to.

And Cailee didn't disappoint. She lowered her head and pressed her lips against Alice's, and feeling exploded through her chest. Alice's lips were as soft and warm as she imagined, and she couldn't get enough of the peppermint taste from her chapstick. Hungry for more, Cailee wrapped a hand around the back of Alice's neck and deepened the kiss.

Alice gently sucked on Cailee's bottom lip as she stroked her tongue with her own.

Suddenly, a loud car horn forced them apart, and they looked in the direction of the noise to see one of Cailee's neighbor glaring at them from his car. Alice flashed him her middle finger, along with a devilish grin. Cailee barely had time to react before Alice grabbed her hand and ran back towards the house. The car horn blared again behind them.

"You're crazy!" Cailee shouted.

Alice merely laughed in response as she glanced back at her with a mischievous grin that sent Cailee's heart skyrocketing.

Cailee was out of breath by the time they bursted through the front door. Gracie and Penelope were in the living room and looked at them in surprise, but Alice continued to pull Cailee past them and up the stairs without stopping.

As soon as they entered Cailee's room, Alice closed the door and locked it before she turned back to Cailee and kissed her hard. Due to their height difference, Alice stood up on her tippy toes, but Cailee didn't let her struggle for long. She bent down slightly, wrapped an arm around Alice's waist, and pulled Alice against her body.

"Fuck, I can't believe I waited so long," Alice murmured through the kiss.

"Me too."

Alice breathed out a soft laugh against her lips.

Then the door handle jiggled, followed by a loud knock on the door.

"Cailee!" Penelope called out from the other side.

Groaning, Cailee pulled away from the kiss. "Go away!"

"Are you and Alice sucking faces again?" her youngest sister exclaimed annoyingly.

Meanwhile, Alice began kissing Cailee's neck gently and let out a quiet chuckle against her skin. Goosebumps ran down Cailee's spine.

"Penelope, I swear to --"

"Mom, they're kissing again!" Penelope screamed. Her footsteps stomped away, followed by her fading screams.

"Fuck, she's so annoying," Cailee muttered.

Alice brought a hand up to Cailee's cheek and gently turned her head back around to kiss her again. This time, Alice's lips moved slower with tenderness as if she wanted to memorize every millisecond of their kiss. Cailee did the same as her tongue roamed every inch of Alice's mouth, licking and exploring.

Gradually, their lips began to move faster again. Alice pulled at Cailee's shirt with need as Cailee backed her towards the bed. They both fell on top of it, their lips relentlessly moving even with low, uneven breaths in their lungs.

As Alice slipped her hand up Cailee's shirt and explored her warm, toned stomach, Cailee slid a hand down in between their bodies to gently caress Alice's thigh. A thrilling shudder ran through Alice's body, and she gasped softly into the kiss.

Cailee's hand slid further up, her fingers stroking Alice's inner thigh teasingly. Alice arched up against her and broke away from the kiss. She squeezed her thighs together, trapping Cailee's hand between them. A quiet, low moan escaped Alice's lips as she closed her eyes and shuddered against Cailee, who watched her scrunched-up face with a mix of amazement and deep desire.

Then Alice grew limp, and the lines on her face smoothed out again as she relaxed.

Cailee brought her hand up to brush strands of hair away from Alice's face. "Did you just..."

A soft smile broke out on Alice's face as her eyes peeled open again. "I told you I was tired of waiting."

"I can see that," Cailee teased. "I barely touched you."

"It doesn't take much when it comes to you," Alice admitted.

Heart racing, Cailee leaned down to kiss her again. Hand still under Cailee's shirt, Alice slid it further up, and Cailee pulled away.

"We should stop," Cailee chuckled as she pecked Alice's lips. "Thin walls. Annoying family."

Alice groaned disappointingly. "Fine."

Cailee rolled off of Alice and laid down beside her. Alice turned to her side, so that they were both looking at each other in comfortable silence.

Kissing and touching each other the way they did, they had crossed the line into new territory. Cailee thought she would be scared, and that was why she had held off for so long and had tried to bury her feelings.

But now that they had crossed that line, and she had felt what it was like to kiss Alice, to touch her in ways she had never imagined possible while knowing that there was more waiting for them, Cailee wasn't afraid. She was eager for more, and her heart, full and lively, raced with anticipation.

Being with Alice felt different. She was a familiar warmth, the best friend who Cailee had grown up with, but now there was also the excitement and deep yearning. All these feelings swirled and twisted together inside of her, and her stomach fluttered.

For Cailee, these feelings were still fresh, and she was still trying to make sense of all of it. For Alice, though, it had always been like this for her, and Cailee's chest squeezed as she thought about how hard it must have been for her best friend to see Cailee with others.

Her mind flashed through her past relationships as she tried to look for any signals that might have indicated Alice's feelings, but her mind came up empty. Even when Cailee had been with Lily, she didn't remember Alice treating them any differently.

Alice brought a hand up to rest against the side of Cailee's neck and gently stroked the skin underneath her ear. "What are you thinking about?"

"A lot of things," Cailee answered. "I'm thinking what you must have been feeling when I was with Lily."

The stroking paused as Alice's lips tightened into a thin line. Then she withdrew her hand and turned onto her back.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Cailee propped herself up on an elbow to peer down at Alice, who closed her eyes.

"Do you still have feelings for her?" Alice whispered.

The unexpected question threw Cailee's mind for a spin, but she grasped it back as she searched for any inkling of feelings that she had for Lily. What they had, had hardly been a relationship. Cailee had liked Lily, but Lily had liked Professor Keller all along. She knew that, yet she still chose to pursue Lily and to sleep with her despite Lily's passiveness.

She understood it now. The bitterness that Cailee had felt was directed more towards herself rather than Lily or Professor Keller. As for any lingering feelings... she thought of all of the times she had spent with Lily as she searched for them, knowing that she had to be honest and fair with Alice if she still felt anything for Lily.

But Cailee only came up empty. Those moments with Lily felt so long ago and distant. There was a fondness attached to them, and Cailee knew that she didn't regret any of them. But she was no longer stuck in them.

Just as Cailee arrived at that conclusion, Alice's eyes snapped open, and she pushed herself off the bed. Cailee didn't realize how long the silence had dragged on after Alice's question.

"Forget it," Alice muttered.

"Alice, wait." Cailee grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards the bed.

Alice tried to yank her hand away with a scowl, but Cailee's grip remained strong. "Let me go."

"I don't have feelings for Lily," Cailee quickly said. "Not anymore, at least."

Alice still looked unconvinced, but she stopped trying to pull her hand away.

Cailee pushed on. "I was just thinking how difficult it must have been for you to see me with other people all these years, and I hate the fact that you had to go through that."

Shrugging, Alice looked away. "I dated other people. It helped until they all turned out to be assholes one way or another."

Cailee's heart dropped. "Alice..."

"I couldn't hate the girls you were with because it would have been unfair. It's not their fault you didn't like me the way you liked them," Alice said. "I tried to feel what I felt for you with others, but there has been no one else. It has only been you, Cailee."

The confession rocked Cailee to the core, and all she wanted now was to hold her. She pulled Alice down onto her lap, and Alice parted her legs and straddled her hips comfortably.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," Cailee said gently.

"It's okay." Alice buried her face into the crook of Cailee's neck, and Cailee rubbed her back soothingly. "You're here now, and you like me too, right?"

Cailee smiled. "I like you very much, Alice."

Breathing out a sigh, Alice sagged against her. "Good because it's really hard to hide my jealousy."

"You should be an actress because I've never seen you..." She trailed off as a sudden thought crossed her mind, and the pieces started to come together. Cailee pulled back to look at Alice. "Hold on, is that why you were mad at the diner? Because of our waitress?"

Alice pressed her face into Cailee's neck again. "She was flirty."

Cailee laughed, and Alice pulled away with a frown.

"It's not funny," Alice muttered.

But Cailee's laughter only grew, which annoyed her even further. Alice tried to slide off her lap, but then Cailee immediately wrapped an arm around her waist and held her there firmly.

"She said we looked like a cute couple," Cailee said as her laughter faded.

The annoyance on Alice's face dissolved. "Did she really?"

Cailee nodded. "And because you were so busy being mad and rushing out without talking to me, she didn't make me pay so that I could catch up to you."

Alice bit down on her lip. "Oh."

"Oh?" Cailee smirked.

And for the first time, Alice looked flustered as her cheeks reddened. "Oops."

With her flushed cheeks and sheepish smile, Alice looked too damn irresistible and kissable. Cailee shifted them around so that Alice was on her back and then Cailee kissed her again.

"There's so many things I want to do to you," Cailee murmured. "So many things I want to make you feel."

Alice gasped, her lips moving urgently. "Then do it."

Cailee groaned. "Can't."

"Right. Thin walls. Annoying family." Alice moved her lips down to kiss Cailee's neck. "Should we drive back to the dorm?"

Cailee ran her fingers through Alice's hair and closed her eyes as she relished the feeling of Alice's lips on her neck.

"We're eating dinner with your dad tonight, remember?"

Now, it was Alice's turn to groan. "I forgot."

Smiling, Cailee tilted Alice's chin up and kissed her lips again. Alice's expression relaxed again.

"Don't worry. We have all the time in the world," Cailee said.

They didn't know how long they spent in Cailee's bedroom, kissing, but by the time the room began to grow dark, they finally pulled apart. Laying together, they grinned at each other with swollen lips.

When they finally decided to leave the room, Alice went to use the bathroom while Cailee headed downstairs first. Penelope was curled up on the couch, asleep while a kid's show played on the TV. Naomi was seated on the other end of the couch, quietly folding some clothes. She looked up when Cailee descended from the last step.

"She finally crashed, huh?" Cailee glanced over at her sister.

Naomi shook her head. "It was about time."

"Did dad get home yet?"

"No, but he's on his way. You should stop by in the morning to see him before you go back."

"I will."

Content, Naomi smiled. Cailee glanced up the stairs, but Alice still had not come down yet.

"Penelope said your door was locked," Naomi said, and Cailee looked at her again. Her mom didn't look up from the clothes she was folding, but her smile grew. "I let it slide this time, but the next time Alice comes over, the door stays open."

"But--"

"You know the rules."

Cailee frowned but didn't argue. It had always been a rule that if they had a girl or guy over, their bedroom door had to stay open. Friends were the exceptions to the rules, but Alice wasn't really just a friend anymore. The frown disappeared with that thought.

Naomi looked up at her daughter. "I'm glad you two talked."

"Me too."

Upstairs, the bathroom door opened, and a moment later, Alice came down the stairs. She had retied her hair into a loose bun, and Cailee's gaze fell to her exposed neck.

"Alice, tell your dad I said hi," Naomi said.

"Okay, I will." Alice returned her smile. "And thank you for inviting me over for lunch. It was delicious as always."

"You're welcome here any time," her mom replied, and then her smile shifted into a teasing smirk. "Just with the bedroom door open next time as I told Cailee."

"Mom!" Cailee exclaimed, and Alice's face flushed red.

"Of course," Alice stammered.

On the couch, Penelope shifted.

"Alright, shoo before your sister wakes up and ruins my peace," Naomi lowered her voice into a whisper. "Text me when you both get there."

"Okay, bye Mom," Cailee whispered and took Alice's hand in hers. "We'll see you tomorrow morning."

Alice gave Naomi one last sheepish smile before Cailee pulled her out of the house.

---------

Alice's dad was in the backyard when they came back. The steaks were cooking on the grill, and he was leaning against the porch railing, slowly sipping a beer.

Cailee went upstairs for a shower, and Alice stepped outside to join her dad.

"Hey, kiddo," he glanced over at her as she leaned against the railing beside him. "How was lunch?"

"It was fun. Chaotic as usual."

Robert chuckled.

The sky was darkening with rolling clouds. They heard the low rumbles of thunder.

Alice rested her head against his shoulder. "Hey, dad?"

"Yeah."

"I like Cailee."

He took a sip from the can, and Alice's stomach squeezed tightly as she waited for his response.

"I know, sweetheart," he finally said.

"Like more than friends," she emphasized and pulled away to look at him. "I have liked her for a very long time."

Robert set his can down on the railing and then turned to look at her. Tears began to form at the corner of her eyes when he smiled, his eyes radiating nothing but warmth.

"Your mom told me before she passed, but I already knew before that," her dad said gently. "The way you look at her is how I looked at your mom."

The tears broke through, and Alice crashed into his chest. His arms immediately wrapped around her, and he kissed the top of her head.

"I miss her so much," Alice cried.

"Me too, sweetheart," his voice broke. "Me too."

She sobbed harder, and he held her tightly as he silently cried. When her cries quieted down to small sniffles, he continued to hold her, and they both watched the rolling clouds in comfortable silence.

Cailee came downstairs from her shower, and when she saw the father-daughter moment, she smiled and went back upstairs to wait in Alice's room. She was looking through the polaroids on the walls when Alice entered the room, looking for her. Cailee turned, and her heart tightened at the sight of Alice's puffy eyes and pink cheeks.

Without a word, Cailee moved towards Alice and engulfed her in a tight embrace. Fresh tears pooled in Alice's eyes as she tilted her head up and pressed her lips to Cailee's. Alice's tears spilled down in between their cheeks, filling their kiss with salt.

Concerned, Cailee pulled away and grasped Alice's face in her hands. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Alice tried to look away, but Cailee held her face in place and bent down to catch her gaze. "Baby, please don't shut me out. Talk to me."

Alice sighed and closed her eyes. Cailee's heart fell. She knew not to push, but she wished Alice would just open up to her. She had hoped that, now with their feelings revealed to each other, Alice would be able to talk to her.

As Cailee's grip slackened, Alice surprised her by speaking.

"I just like you so much," Alice whispered.

"I like you a lot too," Cailee replied softly.

"No." Alice opened her eyes and met her gaze steadily with her teary ones. "I really, really like you, Cailee. This is new for you, but I've had these feelings for a very long time."

Cailee's chest clenched tightly. "I know."

Alice sighed again, and Cailee's brows furrowed. Somehow, it seemed like they were still on two different wavelengths.

"What are you scared of?" Cailee asked gently as she brushed away a stray tear.

"I don't know," Alice whispered. "I stopped hoping that you would ever feel the same for me. This all still feels like a dream."

Cailee picked up one of Alice's hand and brought it up to her own chest, over her heart. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. My feelings for you are real."

More tears slid down Alice's cheek. She parted her lips as if she wanted to say something, but then she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into Cailee's chest instead.

"What will it take for you to believe me?" Cailee asked as she gently stroked Alice's hair. "What can I do?"

Alice merely shook her head and tightened her arms around Cailee's waist. It seemed like she didn't know the answer either.

Despite the fact that they were both aware of each other's feelings, they were still stuck at a standstill. It frustrated Cailee because she didn't know how to get through the blockade and convince Alice that she was in all the way.

Then Alice pulled away, sniffling as she wiped away her tears. "Dinner's almost ready. Lets head down."

Cailee stared at her helplessly, wanting to say or do something to bridge the wide gap between them, but there was nothing else she could think of. It was all on Alice now, but Alice seemed hellbent on keeping a distance between them.

When Cailee still didn't move or say anything, Alice left the room first. Cailee watched her retreating back with twisted guts.

---------

Dinner was awkward. Robert asked a few questions to catch up with her, but when they ran out of things to talk about, the table fell quiet except for clinks of silverware against the plates. Alice remained silent throughout and kept her gaze lowered as she ate.

Robert glanced between the two girls a few times, noting the tension but didn't comment on it. Cailee snuck glances at Alice throughout dinner, but Alice refused to look at her.

When dinner was done, Alice spoke for the first time, her voice hoarse as she volunteered to wash the dishes. Her dad, however, firmly told her he would do it instead as he gave her a pointed look and a glance towards Cailee. As he left the dining room with the plates, Cailee turned towards Alice.

"I'm gonna go shower," Alice muttered and quickly left the room.

Cailee scoffed in disbelief.

It wasn't as if she had been the first to confess her feelings. Alice had told Cailee she liked her first, but now she was acting otherwise. Cailee had been content on not pursuing things with Alice because she was afraid of exactly this, of ruining their friendship.

Cailee stomped up the stairs towards the bedroom, but Alice was already in the bathroom with the shower running. With her anger brewing, Cailee sat down on the bed and waited.

That only lasted a couple of minutes before she got up and started pacing the room. She tried to think of what to say when Alice got out. Professor Keller told her not to push for Alice to talk, but Cailee needed to know where Alice stood now that they had started this... whatever this was.

Alice's phone, left on the desk, dinged with a message. Cailee barely glanced at it as she continued pacing.

She didn't understand her friend at all. One moment, they were kissing and laughing together. The next, Alice was pushing her away and crying. Cailee didn't know when the shift had occurred. Was it on the drive here? Was it when Cailee was in the shower?

Alice's phone rung, and huffing out a breath, Cailee walked over to the desk to look at it. She grew completely still at Asher's name on the screen. Cailee remained staring at it, unable to look away, as the phone continued to ring. When the ringing finally ended, his name went away, and the phone flashed back to the lock screen. She saw the message that was sent from him earlier.

'I love you and miss you.'

Then the screen went dark, but Cailee remained unmoving. She wasn't sure how long she stood there for, but Alice's voice brought her back to the present.

"What are you doing?"

Slowly, Cailee turned around. Alice stood near the door, drying her hair with a towel as she looked at her. Cailee's mind was at a turmoil, and her chest felt heavy like a pressure was pushing down on it and wouldn't stop. Alice must have sensed something in her expression because she frowned and took a step towards her.

"What's--"

Cailee walked forward. Alice's face began to soften, but then Cailee brushed past her and walked out the door. She heard Alice called after her, and she moved faster. She needed to leave because the anger and hurt was too much. It was suffocating.

Hearing the commotion, Robert stepped out of the kitchen, and his eyes widened when he saw Cailee's expression. She wasn't even sure what she looked like in the moment.

"I'm really sorry, Robert. I have to go. Thank you for dinner," Cailee rushed to say as she walked past him.

If he said anything, she didn't hear him. A moment later, she was out the door and was greeted with hard rain. Cailee barely processed it as she barreled through it and towards her car. She fumbled for the key in her pocket, but then it hit her that she had left it in her bag that was still in Alice's bedroom.

Suddenly, Cailee felt a hand wrap around her wrist and spun her around. Seeing Alice, Cailee ripped her arm out of her grasp.

"Did you talk to him?" Alice asked, her face fearful.

"No," Cailee answered coldly.

Then Cailee turned to walk away, but then Alice grabbed her hand again. Cailee tried to jerk away, but Alice tightened her grip and stepped towards her. Cailee backed away, only for her back to hit the car, trapping her between it and Alice's body.

"You're still talking to him?" Cailee snapped. "After he hit you?"

Alice was trembling. They were both soaked from the rain, but Alice had never been good in the cold.

"He keeps calling and sending me messages," Alice said as her face softened into a plea. "I blocked him, but then he came here a couple of days ago looking for me. I wasn't at home, but my dad was and told me when I got home. I had to unblock him to tell him to stay away, but I'm scared that if I block him again, he'll come back looking for me when I'm not here."

Her voice broke into a sob. "And my dad -- he... Cailee, I can't..."

A pang shot through Cailee's chest, and she pulled Alice into her arms.

"I'm sorry," Alice sobbed.

"No, I'm sorry," Cailee said tightly. "I should have talked to you first."

"It's my fault," Alice said as she pulled away and looked up at her with guilty eyes. "I kept pushing you away."

"Why?" Cailee asked as she reached up to caress Alice's face.

Alice breathed out a sigh and looked down at her feet. "I told my dad I liked you, and he said he knew because I look at you the same way he looked at my mom."

Then she looked up at Cailee again with a vulnerable gaze. "And I got scared because my mom was it for my dad. They were each other's person, and I don't think my dad will ever be capable of loving anyone the same way he did with my mom. And if I look at you the same way, then... that means you're it for me too, Cailee.

"I tried to find someone who would make me feel what I feel for you, but no one has even come close to it. Then when we kissed today, it confirmed my feelings and made me feel more than what I thought was even possible. Everything felt right. But if this is just a phase to you, if I'm just a rebound or a stop before you find your person, then I--"

Cailee pulled her into a gentle kiss, and she put all of her feelings into it with the hope that Alice would be able to understand. Alice's lips moved hesitantly at first, unsure. Cailee probed her tongue with her own, and Alice finally pressed her lips firmly against Cailee's.

After a while, Cailee began to pull away, but Alice wasn't finished yet. She chased Cailee's lips with her own, and Cailee chuckled softly but resumed their kiss. It was only when they both ran out of breaths that Alice finally pulled away. Their eyes fluttered open at the same time, and panting, they stared at each other quietly.

Then Cailee smiled. "My feelings for you may be new, but you're not a rebound or a stop for me. I really like you, Alice, and my feelings for you are not going anywhere."

Alice's brows scrunched slightly, and her lips parted as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating. Cailee stroked her cheek with her thumb and waited patiently.

"I'm in love with you," Alice finally confessed.

Cailee froze, and her eyes widened.

"You don't have to say anything," Alice quickly said. "I don't expect you to feel the same way. I just needed to say it."

Cailee couldn't say anything even if she tried. She had always loved Alice like a friend, but as something more? She wasn't sure yet even though her feelings for Alice were very much real, and she didn't want to ruin Alice's confession with an apology or promises that she would one day feel the same.

Alice seemed to understand and smiled as she stepped forward to embrace Cailee. Feeling Alice's trembling body, Cailee moved again and returned the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around Alice.

"You're shaking," Cailee murmured with concern. "Lets get out of the rain."

She felt Alice nod against her shoulder, and then they both reluctantly pulled away to walk back towards the house, hand in hand.

Inside, Robert was already standing at the door with two towels in hand. Cailee smiled sheepishly at him, but Robert merely gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder as he wrapped the towel around her shoulders.

Still holding hands, the girls headed upstairs as Robert watched them from the foot of the stairs, a distant look in his eyes.

When they got to Alice's room, they finally let go of each other's hand. Alice went to her closet while Cailee rummaged through her duffle bag for a change of clothes.

"You can change here. I'll go to the bathroom," Alice said as she headed towards the door with dry clothes. "You can just toss your clothes in the hamper."

Nodding, Cailee watched her leave the room. Not even a minute had passed, and she was already starting to miss Alice's presence. Cailee changed into a plain hoodie and shorts and tossed her wet clothes into the hamper. Passing by the desk, Cailee slowed down as her eyes fell on Alice's phone. A thought crossed her mind, and she glanced towards the door, which was still closed.

Before her nerves caught up to her, Cailee picked up the phone and quickly typed in the passcode, which she knew was Alice's birthday. She pulled up the messages between Alice and Asher and didn't deign to give them a read as she quickly typed out the message and sent it.

Panic immediately took a hold of her, and she glanced up at the door again. Cailee barely had time to process what she had done before the phone dinged with a reply from Asher. She read over it, sent her last message, and then immediately blocked him afterwards.

There was a light knock on the door just as Cailee set the phone back down on the desk. Heart hammering, Cailee turned her back to the door.

"I'm decent," she said and picked up the towel Robert had given her to dry her hair.

The door opened, and Alice stepped inside. Cailee avoided her gaze as much as she could, but not long after, she felt Alice's arms slide around her waist from behind.

"Hi," Alice whispered against her neck, and Cailee melted against her.

"Hi." Cailee turned around and hesitantly met her warm gaze.

Alice had changed into black leggings and an oversized sweater. Her hair, still damp, was draped over one shoulder, exposing one side of her neck.

"Feeling warmer?" Cailee asked.

Biting down on her lip, Alice nodded.

"Good," Cailee said and then leaned forward to press gentle kisses on the side of her neck. Alice sighed softly. "Can't have my girlfriend getting sick because of me."

She felt Alice stiffen and pulled back to gauge her reaction. Alice's eyes were widened in shock, and smiling, Cailee waved a hand in front of her face.

"Earth to Alice?"

"Say that again," Alice whispered.

Cailee grinned. "I said I can't have my girlfriend get--"

Alice lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Cailee's neck, and pulled her down for a kiss. Cailee tossed her towel to the side and held Alice's waist as she kissed her back.

"I love hearing you call me that," Alice murmured.

"I love saying it," Cailee said against Alice's smiling lips. "My beautiful girlfriend."

Alice giggled, and Cailee deepened the kiss as she slipped in her tongue. They moved towards the bed and fell on top of it, Alice landing on Cailee, who then rolled them over so she was on top instead.

"You know," Alice started suggestively. "The walls here are very thick."

Cailee chuckled. "Are they now?"

"Very much so."

Cailee slid her hands down Alice's arms and then pinned them down on the bed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You know why." Alice pressed her body upwards against Cailee with need.

"I don't know..." Cailee teased with a smile. "I think you're going to have to be more clear."

"Cailee," she groaned.

Laughing, Cailee released one of Alice's arm and slid her hand down in between their bodies to rest it in between Alice's thigh.

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, her breath growing uneven with anticipation. Cailee slowly slid her hand up as she watched Alice's face.

"Please," Alice whispered, her brows scrunching together.

Cailee's hand slid further up to the band of Alice's leggings.

"Tell me what you want." Cailee teasingly dug a finger into the thin material, and Alice thrusted her hips upwards.

"You," Alice gasped. "I want you."

But Cailee wasn't satisfied with her answer. "You have me already. I'm right here." She curled a finger into the band and drew the leggings down just slightly.

Alice's eyes snapped open, and she glared at Cailee. "I want you to touch me."

Cailee grinned as her gaze darkened. "You should have said that sooner."

Then Cailee slid her hand down past Alice's leggings and panties until she felt her warm, pulsing sex. She was clean-shaven and dripping already.

"Oh," Alice whispered, her eyes fluttering closed again.

Cailee teased a finger against her hole, and Alice's breath hitched. Gently, Cailee ran her fingers up the length of her slit, and Alice's free hand shot up to grip Cailee's shoulder.

"You have no idea how sexy you look right now," Cailee whispered into her ear, and Alice shivered in response.

Then Cailee kissed Alice's neck as she pushed a finger into her depths. Alice's body tightened, and her fingers dug into Cailee's shoulder.

"You think you can last a little longer this time?" Cailee teased.

Sucking in a breath, Alice opened her eyes to shoot her a glare. "You bit--"

Cailee rubbed Alice's clit, interrupting her. Alice's head fell back as she let out a breathy moan. Cailee felt her own sex throb at the sight of the bliss on Alice's face, and she rubbed Alice's nub as she slipped in another finger into her depths. Her fingers moved faster and curled just slightly against her inner walls. Alice began to pant harder as she grinded against Cailee's fingers.

Tiny whimpers escaped Alice as her body grew close to the edge. Cailee could feel Alice's walls pulsing and hugging her fingers tighter, and she leaned in to kiss around Alice's ear.

"You close, baby?" Cailee whispered.

"Uh huh."

"You wanna cum for me?"

Breathless, Alice merely nodded. Cailee rolled her clit under her thumb and then flicked it. Alice's hips shot up as her face tightened.

"Have you ever imagined this moment?" Cailee breathed into her ear. "Have you ever imagined me kissing you and touching you like this?"

Nodding, Alice moaned lowly in response.

"Can you open your eyes for me, baby?" Cailee said. Leaning back, she sped up her fingers, and relished the feeling of Alice's wet, tight depths. Cailee could feel how close Alice was. "Can you look at me when you cum?"

Alice's eyes slowly fluttered open. Looking into her hazel eyes, Cailee thought they were the most beautiful ones she had ever seen, and she wondered how she had not fallen for her before.

Then, Alice let out a soft gasp as her body tightened up. Her eyes started to close again, but remembering Cailee's request, she forced them open again and met her warm gaze. Cailee kept her fingers still inside of Alice, enjoying the warm pulses as Alice's inner walls squeezed.

As the orgasm gradually passed, Alice's slumped down again, and Cailee gently withdrew her fingers. A tear slipped out of the corner of Alice's eye, and Cailee kissed it away.

"You okay?" Cailee asked as she brushed Alice's hair back from her face.

Alice's lips pulled up into a small smile. "I'm perfect."

"Good." Cailee kissed her gently.

She felt Alice tug on the hem of her shirt and smiled into the kiss. As Alice's fingers slid into Cailee's shirt and caressed her bare stomach, soft acoustics from downstairs broke through the sounds of their kisses and pants.

Pulling away, Cailee peered down at Alice with a growing smirk. "Thick walls, you said?"

Alice smiled coyly. "I never said they were soundproof."

"You--" Cailee lowered her hands to Alice's side and tickled her mercilessly. Laughter bubbled through Alice's lips as she squirmed under her.

"S-Stop," Alice giggled.

Cailee withdrew her fingers, and suddenly, Alice rolled them over so that Cailee was on her back. Alice pinned Cailee's hands above her head and grinned triumphantly.

"Look who's on top now," Alice teased.

"Oh yeah?" Cailee smirked. "What are you going to do now that you're up there?"

A blush crept up from Alice's neck to redden her cheeks. Her grip on Cailee's wrist slackened, but neither of them moved.

"Alice?"

"I'm thinking," Alice huffed out a breath, her cheeks growing redder.

Chuckling, Cailee decided to save her the trouble and then flipped them over again. Alice let out a surprised yelp, and Cailee covered her mouth with her own. As they kissed, the music from Robert's guitar continued to fill the air, and Cailee thought about how wonderful it sounded and how perfect this moment was.

When they pulled away, Alice glared up at her. "I was still thinking."

"You took too long, and your lips looked so kissable," Cailee countered. "I got impatient."

Alice rolled her eyes but grinned. Cailee shifted on the bed to lie down beside her, and they both stared at each other as they listened to the soft strums of the guitar. A moment later, quiet humming joined in but not from Robert. Cailee's heart fluttered at the beautiful sound coming from Alice, who was smiling softly with a faraway look in her eyes.

Scooting closer to Alice, Cailee picked up her hand and kissed her fingers. Alice blinked as she was brought back to the present.

"Lets go downstairs," Cailee murmured against her fingers. "I want to see your dad play."

Alice's smile widened as she nodded.

They both shared Alice's blanket and draped it over their shoulders as they left the room and headed downstairs towards the sound of music. It took them to the living room where Robert was sitting on a chair in front of a fire. He glanced up at them, and a small smile formed on his lips when he saw their interlaced fingers.

Alice led Cailee to sit on the floor in front of the fireplace, and the heat from the flames warmed their skins and bodies. Alice rested her head on Cailee's shoulders and let out a content sigh, and Cailee wrapped an arm around her comfortably.

Then Alice began humming again along to the song that Cailee didn't know but now loved. Not too long after, Robert's hums joined his daughter's. Cailee couldn't voice it yet without certainty, but she had the feeling that she was falling in love with her best friend.

The thought of it no longer scared her.

------------

The guilt continued to gnaw at Cailee's insides as she drove further and further away from her hometown and away from Alice, who she left in bed alone at the crack of dawn. She knew she should have told Alice what she planned to do and where she was going, but she didn't want Alice to stop her.

She had to finish this once and for all.

A little over two hours later, she finally arrived at the suburban house in a town, Macon, that she had never heard of or been to before. She recognized the blue jeep that belonged to Asher, though, so she knew that he had given her the correct address with the belief that he would see Alice at his doorstep.

He was going to be thoroughly disappointed.

Cailee parked at the bottom of the driveway, turned off the engine, picked up the metal bat she had taken from the hallway closet back at Alice's house, and then made her way up to the front door. She pressed the doorbell, took a step back, and leaned against the bat as she waited.

As if waiting for her, or well, rather, Alice, the door swung open not long after, and Asher's grin slowly melted away into confusion when he saw her. Cailee didn't say anything at first. She gave him time to process the fact that it was her and not Alice, and as his eyes traveled down to the bat, he began to pale.

"Don't worry. It's not for you," Cailee finally said. "Unlike you, I wouldn't put my hands on someone even if they hit my best friend the way you did."

Asher's eyes traveled back to meet hers, and she saw him swallow. "Where's Alice?"

"Safe now that she's far away from you."

His brows furrowed, and he crossed his arms. "What did she tell you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Did she tell you that she was flirting with someone else?" he took a threatening step towards her, and she cocked a brow. "But I forgave her. She disrespected me, but I--"

Cailee barked out a laugh. "You forgave her?" Asher frowned, his lips tightening. She saw his cheeks pulse. "You're the one who should be begging her for forgiveness."

She took a step towards him, dragging the bat against the floor. Asher took a step back, and fear flashed through his eyes.

Good, she thought. Let him have a taste of the fear Alice had felt.

"My parents are home," Asher immediately said. "My dad has a gun."

"Aw, little boy can't fight his own battles and needs mommy's and daddy's help?" she taunted him.

Then she saw the anger rise to his eyes, and his chest expanded as he stepped towards her. Cailee raised the bat an inch off the floor but stood her ground.

"Fucking touch me, and I'll break both of your legs before your daddy can come out here with his gun," she threatened.

Asher stopped but clenched his fists as he glared at her. "I thought you said you wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Well, self-defense is a perfectly fine reason for me to break that promise."

He scoffed. "You're the one with the bat."

"And you're the one who left those bruises on Alice with your bare hands."

He tightened his jaw. "So what? She sent you here to do what?"

"Oh no, she doesn't know I'm here," Cailee answered as she stepped away from the door and walked back towards the driveway. He watched her suspiciously. "I used her phone to text you and then blocked you."

"Why?"

Cailee stopped at the side of his car, right at the driver's door. "So I can do this."

Then Cailee raised the bat up to her shoulder, and his eyes widened as the realization set in. He ran towards her, but he was too late as Cailee swung the bat towards the car window. A loud crack rang through the air, and Asher flinched at the sound as he came to an abrupt stop.

There was a dent on the window, with the cracks spreading out from the center of the hit, but it had not shattered yet. Then Cailee raised the bat back up and swung it again. The cracks spread out further.

"Damn, this is a tough window," Cailee muttered as she raised the bat again.

"You fucking bitch!" Asher shouted as he stomped towards her.

Cailee turned to him with the bat still in mid-air, and he stopped just a few feet away, his chest rising and lowering at a fast rate.

"I'm going to make you pay for that, you fucking piece of--"

She swung the bat again, narrowly missing his face by just a couple of inches, and made contact with the window again. The impact finally made a hole as the window caved in, and pieces of glass went flying. Asher stared at his car in horror.

Cailee took a couple of steps back and aimed for the back pasenger window. Just as she raised the bat again, a low, rough voice came from the front door.

"What in the fuck is going on out here?"

They both looked up, where a tall, bulky man was making his way towards them. He was still dressed in his pajama pants. His eyes flickered from his son, to Cailee, and then the bat and damaged car.

"Dad, she's destroying my car!" Asher whined, and she raised a brow. "She's fucking insane!"

Asher's dad turned to Cailee with anger in his eyes. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm the best friend of the girl your son put his hands on," Cailee answered without hesitance.

His dad sharply looked at his son, who cowered away. Then he shifted his attention back to Cailee. "And when you say put his hands on..."

"He hit her. She had bruises all over arm and one on her face. It wasn't the first time either."

"I didn't do it," Asher immediately said, and Cailee's eyes snapped to him, who refused to meet her gaze. "She's lying through her fucking teeth because she's jealous Alice is in love with me and not with her."

Surprised, Cailee lowered the bat. Just when she thought he couldn't get any lower...

His dad stared at him for a while before he turned his gaze back to Cailee. "My son says he didn't do it."

Cailee scoffed. "You're fucking kidding."

"Unless you have some sort of proof, I'm afraid you did all of this for nothing," his dad said. "I already called the police, and they will be here soon. Not only will I be pressing charges for vandalism and defamation, but I will make sure you stay in jail."

Asher straightened and finally looked at her now that his dad had taken his side. He smirked triumphantly. "What are you going to do now, bitch?"

Annoyance flashed through his dad's eyes. "Shut the fuck up and go inside."

All of the bravado left Asher, and he lowered his head. "Yes, sir."

Then he went inside as his father ordered. She looked at the both of them with a mixture of disbelief and rising anger. She knew she should have been scared, but all she felt in that moment was vengeful.

"There's always something with you people," he said.

"You people?" she echoed.

"Maybe being in there will set your mind right again." He frowned as he eyed her. She recognized the disgust in his eyes.

The fucking audacity of this man.

She swung the bat back and aimed it at the second window. His eyes widened, but she no longer paid him any attention as she hit the car again and again. In the distance, Cailee could hear police sirens, but she didn't stop until they pulled up to the driveway.

By then, the neighbors had stepped out of their houses to watch the commotion. Cailee finally dropped the bat and let the cops lead her away with her head held up high.

------------

"You're where?" Naomi screeched into the phone, and Cailee pulled it away with a wince. She heard her mom's rants fill the line, and she gave it a few more seconds before she pressed the phone to her ear again.

"Mom, I'm really sorry," Cailee interrupted. "But I need you to bail me out."

She pulled the phone away again as her mom's screaming burst through again. When she heard her mom's rants slow down, she brought the phone back up again.

"Also, please don't tell Alice I'm here."

"She already knows," Naomi replied angrily.

Cailee's heart slowed. "What?"

"She's been here the entire time," Naomi said. "She came here looking for you, and you called not long after."

Fuck.

Just as Cailee's mind began to fill with panic, she heard Alice's voice.

"Cailee?"

She gripped the phone tightly. "Alice, I'm here."

"Why did you do it?" she asked tearfully.

A pang shot through Cailee's chest. "You talked to him?"

"His friends have been messaging me," she answered. "They told me what happened. They think I sent you."

"I--"

"Are you okay?" Alice asked softly. "Did they hurt you?"

Cailee lowered her head in shame. She wasn't ashamed of what she did, but she was ashamed for worrying Alice and her own family.

"I'm okay," Cailee answered. "They couldn't have hurt me even if they tried."

"It could have gone a lot worse," Alice said. "His dad owns a gun."

So that part was true.

"When I didn't see you this morning, I thought the worse," Alice said quietly. "And then you weren't here either, and I really thought you had ran or something. But then you called, and I didn't know if I should feel relief or anger."

"I prefer relief," Cailee said lightly, but Alice didn't laugh. "Alice, I'm sorry I left like that and for worrying you."

There was movement in front of her, and she looked up to see the cop tapping his wrist. Time was almost up.

"You're so lucky I love you," Alice sighed, her voice softer again.

Heart hammering, Cailee twirled the phone wire tightly around her finger. "I love you too."

She heard Alice suck in a breath. The cop moved towards Cailee, who gripped the phone tightly as she waited for Alice's response.

But Alice didn't say anything, and the cop was in front of Cailee now. Cailee blew out a breath. "Look, I gotta go, but I'll see you later, okay?"

Then she pulled the phone away, and just as she hung up, she heard Alice's voice come through. But it was too late, and Cailee's chest tightened as she thought about what Alice was about to say.

The cop led her back to the empty cell, and Cailee slumped down on the bench with a heavy weight on her mind.

----------

Cailee didn't know how much time had passed when the cell door slid open, but it felt less than an hour since the phone call. She looked up to see the same cop from earlier.

"It's your lucky day. Someone posted bail," the cop said.

Her eyes widened. There was no way her parents or Alice had gotten here so quickly.

"Well? You planning on staying or leaving?" he asked gruffly.

Cailee shot up to her feet, and he led her away from the cell and towards the elevator. She asked him if he knew who it was that bailed her out, but he didn't answer. When they arrived on the main floor, he led her to the front desk, and she stopped abruptly in shock.

Professor Keller and Lily.

What the...

They finally saw her, but Cailee remained still as they moved towards her. The cop had left for the elevator some time ago.

"You know, when I said show her you care, I didn't mean this," Professor Keller said with a tinge of amusement. "Not that he doesn't deserve it."

Lily elbowed her, and Professor Keller bit down on her grin.

"What are you two... how -- why are you here?" Cailee asked.

"We were in town to visit Nicole's family for the weekend," Lily answered. "Alice called and told me what happened. I didn't know about Asher."

Guilt filled Lily's eyes.

"I didn't know either until she showed up with bruises," Cailee said. "And still, she didn't tell me what happened, but I put it together."

Lily rubbed a hand down her face as tears formed in her eyes. "Oh god, why didn't she say anything?"

Professor Keller wrapped a comforting arm around Lily and rubbed her shoulder gently, and Lily leaned into her.

"Alice has never been good at talking about her problems," Cailee said.

Lily scoffed softly. "Sounds like someone I know."

Professor Keller blinked innocently. "I wonder who that could be."

Just a few inches shorter, Lily glared up at her girlfriend, who merely grinned in response. Cailee cleared her throat awkwardly, and they both shifted their attention back to her.

"Thank you for bailing me out," she said.

"I couldn't let one of my students rot in jail," Professor Keller said. "We have class tomorrow."

Lily elbowed her again, but Cailee couldn't help but smile.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I did none of the readings for tomorrow," Cailee admitted.

Professor Keller sighed dramatically. "Shame on you. I guess I'll have to fail you now."

"Over my dead body," Lily threatened playfully. "Cailee had a perfectly good excuse."

It was strange to see her professor and one of her exes together. It didn't make her angry anymore, but it was just... strange.

"Alright, you. We were given specific instructions to pick you up and keep an eye on you until Alice and your parents get here," Professor Keller said with an amused smile.

Cailee's eyes widened. "Alice is coming?"

"Of course she is," Professor Keller said. "And she's not happy."

Cailee rubbed her hands down her face. "Great."

"Come on. There's a good diner not too far from here, and you probably haven't eaten anything all day," Lily said gently. "We'll wait there until they arrive."

------------

Now that Cailee had spent an hour with Lily and Nicole -- she had insisted Cailee stop calling her Professor Keller outside the classroom -- she saw how perfect they were for each other.

When she first learned of their relationship, she thought that they wouldn't last. Nicole had been Lily's professor, and there was an eight-year age gap between them. She couldn't understand them at all, but now, sitting in front of them, she began to see it.

They sat together in a booth, their hands clasped together under the table, and every once in a while, they would glance at one another with nothing but affection in their gazes. Cailee never really thought of Nicole outside of the classroom, but she had expected her to remain the serious, professional professor outside of it.

Surprisingly, it seemed like Lily was the more mature one out of the both of them, but Nicole seemed to bring out her fun side. Nicole didn't speak much, but when she did, she liked to joke and make unserious comments that would make Lily roll her eyes or laugh at. When Nicole wasn't talking, she mostly gazed at Lily with a soft expression that Cailee had never seen on her face before. It seemed like it was reserved only for Lily.

They complemented each other well.

"They agreed to drop the charges, by the way," Nicole suddenly said as she looked up from her phone and set it back down on the table.

Lily smiled, but Cailee stared at Nicole in shock. "What do you mean?"

Nicole smirked. "Turns out Asher's dad works for Dan, who had a very serious conversation with him about morals and domestic violence."

Cailee blinked in confusion. "Who's Dan?"

"He's like family to me."

Lily leaned into her comfortingly, and Nicole smiled as she met her gaze.

"I guess that means you're off the hook," Lily said as she pulled her gaze away from Nicole's to smile at Cailee.

"Yeah," Cailee said quietly, still in shock. "Can you tell Dan I said thank you? And I'll pay you back for the--"

Nicole dismissed her with a wave. "Don't worry about the bail."

"But--"

"Just focus on passing your classes this summer," Nicole interrupted with a growing smirk. "Besides, I think you have some more pressing matters to worry about."

"What are you--"

"Cailee Myers!"

At the sound of her mom's voice, Cailee's eyes widened, and she spun around to see her parents stomping her way. Then, her attention was pulled to Alice, who followed them from behind, her face unreadable.

Cailee slid out of her seat and held out a hand in an attempt to waive them off, but then Naomi grabbed her arm and then pulled her back in the direction she came from.

"Wait, mom--"

"Leaving town without a single word and vandalizing a car! What in the world were you thinking!" Naomi shouted.

Other guests in the diner stared at them, and Cailee's face grew red as she avoided their gazes.

"You should have at least brought me with you," her dad said gruffly.

"Simon, don't encourage her!"

As her parents began to bicker, Cailee glanced over at Alice who walked silently beside her. She refused to look at Cailee.

Her mom pulled her out the door and then dropped her wrist and crossed her arms.

"Explain," Naomi demanded.

Cailee didn't know how much her parents knew in regards to Alice, and she didn't want to say too much. As she opened her mouth to explain, Alice intervened.

"They know," Alice said quietly while still refusing to look at her. "I told your parents about Asher. My dad knows too."

Cailee's heart hammered, and she took a step towards Alice. "Are you okay?"

Then Alice finally looked up at her with teary eyes, and the guilt slammed into Cailee.

"I'm gonna go talk to Lily and Nicole for a bit," Alice said. "Talk to your parents first."

Cailee wanted to stop her, but she held herself back. She had made Alice cry, and the thought of that upset her more than anything.

"The both of you should have talked to someone," Naomi said more calmly now after Alice left, and Cailee shifted her attention back to her parents. "We could have helped."

"There was nothing anyone could have done," Cailee said. "There was no proof that he had hit her, and she didn't want to talk to anyone about it. He wouldn't leave her alone either, and I did what I thought best."

"And what if he had hurt you?" Cailee's dad asked, his voice laced with controlled anger. "You went there with nothing but a bat, and you told no one else where you were going. What if something had happened to you? Did you think about that, Cailee?"

"But I--"

"Your mom wouldn't stop crying after she got off the phone with you, and she cried on the way here," he continued, and Cailee dropped her gaze to the ground. "I know you care about Alice, but everything you did today was not out of care. It was reckless and selfish."

Naomi rested a hand on her husband's chest and stepped in between them. "Simon, that's enough."

"I thought you wanted me to lecture her."

"Yeah, but--"

"I'm sorry," Cailee said quietly and looked up at her parents with blurry eyes. "I wasn't thinking at all. You're right. I was being selfish."

"Oh, honey." Naomi's voice cracked, and she enveloped Cailee into a hug. A moment later, Simon's arms wrap around the both of them. "Just promise us you won't do something like this again. Please."

"I won't. I promise."

Her parents pulled away, and then Naomi wiped away Cailee's tears. Cailee did the same to hers, and Naomi let out a quiet laugh.

"I'm sorry," Cailee apologized again and glanced up at her dad too. He gave her a small smile.

"It's okay, honey," Naomi sniffled. "We're just glad you're okay."

"Your mother actually wanted you to stay in jail a little longer," Simon revealed, and Naomi shot him a glare. "But Alice didn't want to make you wait and called her friends to get you out."

Cailee's heart throbbed, and she glanced towards the diner.

"Go talk to her," her mom said softly.

Cailee wrapped her arms around herself. "What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"

"She does," Naomi said. "She's just a little mad right now."

"She's scary when she's mad."

"I feel the same way with your mom," Simon added and then grinned when Naomi shot him another glare.

"It may seem like she doesn't want to talk, but trust me, she does. The longer you drag this out, the worse it will be," Naomi advised.

Sighing, Cailee dropped her head. As usual, her mom was right.

"We'll be waiting in the car," Naomi said. "Take your time."

Simon gave Cailee a comforting pat on the shoulder before he followed his wife to the car. Cailee let out another breath before she entered the diner again. The same customers turned to look at her again, and she still avoided their eyes as she moved towards the booth in the back.

Alice was sitting in the seat Cailee had sat in before, and Lily had moved to sit beside her and was comforting Alice with a hug. Nicole watched them with a sad gaze, which was the most serious Cailee had seen her all day. Her chest tightened, but she kept walking.

Nicole looked up when she arrived at the table, and then Lily looked up too.

"How did it go with your parents?" Nicole asked.

"They're mad, but they're glad I'm okay," Cailee answered and then looked at Alice, who had pulled away from Lily's arms and was staring down at the table.

"We're gonna start heading out," Lily said gently to Alice. "Let us know if you both need anything else, okay?"

Alice nodded and then looked up briefly at Nicole and Lily. "Thank you guys for everything."

"It's not a problem at all," Nicole reassured her, and Lily smiled lovingly at her girlfriend. "We're just glad we were in town and were able to help."

Then Alice pulled Lily into another tight hug, and Nicole slid out of the booth to approach Cailee.

"Don't worry about coming to class tomorrow," Nicole murmured as she glanced back at them. "I think she's really going to need being at home tonight and with you at her side."

Cailee nodded, but she didn't express her doubt that Alice might still want her at all after this.

When Alice finally pulled away again, Lily stood up and took Nicole's hand. She gave Cailee a reassuring smile before the both of them left her alone with Alice. Cailee didn't dare sit down but remained standing beside the table. Alice pulled her knees up to her chest and stared down at the table in silence.

"I'm sorry," Cailee started. "I thought I was helping you, but I think I was just acting out of my own anger. I was selfish, and I'm really sorry, Alice. I know you're mad at me, but I'll make it up to you no matter how long it takes."

Alice didn't say anything and remained unmoving. Desperate, Cailee moved closer to the table and dropped to her knees. "Alice, please."

Then Alice snapped her head over to finally meet her gaze, and Cailee's heart squeezed when she saw how red and sore her eyes were.

"Don't do that," Alice rasped and grabbed Cailee's arm to pull her up, but Cailee remained on her knees.

"I can't lose you. I'll stay like this forever if I have to," Cailee said stubbornly.

"You're not going to lose me," Alice cried and pulled at her arms again, and this time, Cailee let Alice drag her up onto the seat. "You went to jail for me!"

Cailee stared at her in surprise. "I thought you were going to break up with me."

"You're such an idiot," Alice muttered and then pulled her into a kiss.

It only took Cailee a few milliseconds to register the kiss before she slid in closer and tentatively brought a hand up to caress the back of Alice's neck. Alice deepened the kiss by sliding her tongue into Cailee's mouth.

Then Alice suddenly pushed her away and grabbed a fistful of her shirt as she glared at Cailee. "Never leave me like that ever again."

"I won't," Cailee panted, her gaze still glued to Alice's lips. "I promise."

Cailee leaned in to kiss her again, but Alice pulled back, her glare hardening.

"How dare you tell me you love me for the first time through the phone," Alice said, and Cailee's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "I couldn't even see your face to see if you meant it. It's not fair."

Cailee's lips lifted into a smirk. Annoyed, Alice turned away, but Cailee quickly grasped her face in her hands and held her still.

"Look at me now," Cailee breathed out and then swallowed tightly. "Alice, I love you. More than a best friend, more than anything, really. I am in love with you, and I'm sorry it took me so long to realize it."

Alice stared at her with wide eyes.

"Alice?"

"Hold on. I'm thinking."

"Thinking?" Cailee let out a breathy laugh. "About what?"

Instead of answering, Alice pursed her lips as she continued to stare at Cailee in silence. Amused, Cailee tilted her head as she stared back patiently.

Then Alice let out a breath and closed her eyes. "I still feel like this is all a dream. Like I'm going to wake up in three... two..."

"One," Cailee finished and kissed her gently. She felt Alice's eyelashes flutter against her cheek and pulled back to see her conflicted gaze. Cailee smiled softly. "Hello. I'm still here, and I still love you."

Then Cailee felt a sharp pinch on her arm, and she jerked away in surprise. "Ow!"

"Sorry," Alice smiled sheepishly. "I had to make sure this wasn't a dream."

Cailee laughed. "Babe, you're supposed to pinch yourself."

Alice shrugged as her lips began to widen into a devilish grin. "I know."

Narrowing her eyes, Cailee pulled her back into a kiss, and Alice sighed contently into her mouth.

--------- EPILOGUE ----------

There was no way in hell.

Cailee ran up the hill and the long steps that led to the English building. She had been at the student center, standing in line to purchase a sandwich for lunch, when she received the notification that her literature final grades had been posted. She immediately ran out the building as soon as she saw the grade. Sandwich, be damn.

By the time Cailee arrived at the double doors, her chest was burning, and she was dripping sweat from the sweltering July heat. Not giving herself time to rest, Cailee burst into the building and took the stairs up.

Professor Keller's door was open as she expected, and she was sitting behind her desk, scribbling on some paper. Professor Keller looked up when Cailee stopped at her door and keeled over.

"Whoa," Professor Keller stood up, her eyes filling with concern. "Is everything alright?"

"My -- oh fuck," Cailee wheezed. She was not fit for cardio at all. "My final."

Professor Keller's brows furrowed. "What about your final?"

Cailee stepped further into the room and dropped down onto a chair as she continued to try to gather her breath. "It's not right."

"Not right?"

Cailee pulled up the grade on her phone and then showed it to Professor Keller, who glanced at the screen and then looked at Cailee with confusion.

"No, that's right."

"What? But..." Cailee frowned. "How?"

Smiling, Professor Keller sat down again and leaned back into her seat. "It was a well-written paper. That's why."

"Are you sure?"

Professor Keller raised a brow.

"I mean, are you sure it's not because of anything or anyone else?"

The smile faded from Professor Keller's face, and Cailee swallowed tightly. Then Professor Keller sighed and pushed her chair back to open the drawer behind her desk. Cailee watched her in silence.

Professor Keller pulled out what she was looking for and slid it across the desk towards Cailee, who recognized it as her final. Hesitantly, Cailee picked it up and flipped through the pages. There were a few notes, written in red pen, and besides a few critiques, they were mostly good notes. Cailee reread the annotations over and over again in disbelief.

"You have improved a lot, and you should be proud," Professor Keller said.

Cailee looked up from the paper. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have accused you of favoritism."

She shrugged. "I understand your reservations, but you deserved that 'A' fair and square."

"I had a lot of help."

"How's Alice?"

Cailee smiled at the mere mention of her name. "She's good. She's back at home right now, and I was going to head back tonight."

Professor Keller smiled. "That's good. I'm glad to hear things are still going well for you two."

Cailee hesitated but decided to ask anyway. "How are things with you and Lily?"

"Alice told you?"

Cailee nodded in response, and Professor Keller sighed.

"Things are still a little rough with her parents right now, but we'll get through it." Professor Keller answered.

"I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "We were so worried what her parents would think of our relationship since I was Lily's professor, but it seemed like they're more concerned with the fact that I'm a woman. I can't tell which is worse."

"How does Lily feel about everything?"

"She's angry and disappointed with her parents, but I think she's mostly sad though she won't talk about it." Professor Keller smiled tightly. "I guess now I know what it feels like for her when she gets frustrated at me for not talking."

"Just let her know that you're there for her, and when she's ready she'll open up," Cailee said.

Professor Keller smirked. "I wonder who gave you that great piece of advice."

Cailee merely grinned.

"Alright, go home." Professor Keller waved her away. "You don't want to keep Alice waiting too long, or she'll think you went to go vandalize another car."

"That was literally one time, and he deserved it."

"As your professor, I can't say that I condone that sort of violence."

"But as a friend?"

Professor Keller's expression softened even as her eyes shone with mischief. "He should have gotten worse."

Grinning, Cailee backed towards the door. "I'll be seeing you around."

"See you around, Cailee. Tell Alice I said hi."

-------------

Cailee decided to skip lunch and drove straight to Alice's house after packing the rest of her clothes into the car. It was close to evening when she arrived, and the sky had turned a deep pink and orange. Out on the farm, it looked even more beautiful.

There was no other car in the driveway but Alice's sedan, and Cailee immediately saw Alice lying on the hood of her own car. With earbuds on, Alice didn't seem to notice her and had her eyes closed as she hummed along to the song she was listening to.

Cailee leaned against the hood of Alice's car and watched her quietly with a small smile. One of Alice's knees were propped up and swayed slowly. Cailee turned, situated herself between Alice's legs, and then reached out for her leg.

"Oh my god!" Alice screeched and kicked her feet out.

One of her feet landed into Cailee's guts, and Cailee grunted in pain as she fell to her knees.

"Cailee?" Alice exclaimed. "Oh my god, babe, I'm so sorry!"

Alice slid off the car, knelt down beside Cailee, and rubbed her back soothingly.

"My fault," Cailee groaned.

"You scared me half to death." Alice kissed her cheek, and Cailee could already feel the pain fading as she leaned into her.

"Sorry."

"I'm sorry for kicking you."

"Maybe you can kiss the pain away?"

Smiling, Alice leaned in and kissed her gently. Before Cailee could deepen it, Alice pulled away. "Better?

"Actually, I was thinking you could kiss me right here?" Cailee pointed to the spot on her stomach where Alice had kicked her. "It still hurts."

"Aw, it does?" Alice placed a hand on her cheek as she leaned in, and Cailee nodded.

Then Alice gave her a gentle shove, and Cailee landed on her ass. "Too bad."

"Hey!"

Grinning, Alice stood up and dusted the dirt off her knees as she headed towards the house. "That's what you get for sneaking up on me!"

Cailee wasn't going to let her off that easily. She pushed herself up, and as Alice glanced over her shoulder, she saw the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Wait, wait--" Alice's eyes widened as Cailee sped towards her, and she broke out into a run.

"Come back here!" Cailee shouted.

Caught by surprise, Alice didn't get very far, and a moment later, Cailee tackled Alice and wrapped her arms around her tightly as they hit the grass and rolled around. Screaming, Alice tucked her face into Cailee's neck, and Cailee laughed devilishly.

They finally rolled to a stop, with Alice on top of Cailee. Grass and dirt stuck to both of their clothes.

Then Alice lifted her head and slapped Cailee's shoulder. "You bitch!"

Cailee bursted out laughing, and Alice's anger dissolved at the sweet sound. She pressed her mouth to Cailee's, trading her laugh for the taste of her lips.

"I love you," Cailee murmured.

Alice smiled. She would never get tired of hearing that. "I love you too." Then she glared playfully at Cailee. "Now I have to shower again because of you."

Cailee grinned. "Well, you know I can help you with that."

Alice matched her grin. "That's exactly what I was thinking."