# Chapter 18

The light filtered through a gap in the curtain and settled on two bodies, so closely wrapped together they looked like one. The blonde hair mingled with the black giving a contrasting effect. The taller of the two was spooned around her sleeping partner; both looked so peaceful; so asleep. The morning sun danced over the tanned arm as it held tightly to the body beneath it.

Sam looked on from the bedroom door, he hadn’t meant to open the door, hadn’t meant to stare but he’d arrives home to a deserted house. No dog barking at him and no wife in his bed. He’d noticed JJ’s door ajar and temptation had been too much. He’d pushed the door slightly open and had gained a growl from a watching Holly but nothing more, as if she knew that more than that would wake the occupants of the bed.

He continued to look at his wife’s face, she looked so beautiful, so young but he also noticed how relaxed she looked, as if she had inner peace. Jealousy stirred in the pit of his stomach when he saw how tightly JJ held her in her arms, how close their bodies were. The only thing that had prevented him from waking them was the fact he trusted his wife and the two women were fully clothed.

He opened the door and signaled to Holly, he needed to think, there would be time later for Cory and him to talk. He was sure there was an innocent explanation; he closed the door quietly behind him and set off for a morning run.

Ten minutes later, JJ stirred, opening bleary eyes she peered at the blonde hair. Her mind raced and then settled when she realised where she was and with whom. She continued to look at Cory, she’d had the opportunity last night to show her how much she felt, what she’d felt and for once in her life she’d done the honorable thing. Would she regret the decision? Probably but she knew Cory needed time. It didn’t stop her holding the woman tight and smelling the mint of her hair. She wished things were different, wished the woman in her arms was single but life wasn’t that kind and JJ had to be strong.

She lay there a good ten minutes when she felt the tension return to Cory’s body, she slowly released her hold on the blonde and moved across the bed, she was prevented from going too far by an arm snaking it’s way round her body.

“Hey where do you think you’re going?” Cory’s voice was thick with sleep but she smiled impishly at JJ.

Flustered JJ had no answer, she’d expected it to be awkward, the mornings after the night before usually were, even if nothing had happened but something had happened. It might not have been physical but they had definitely crossed a line, opened a chasm and expressed what they both knew was in their hearts. She smiled shyly at the blonde; “I was just… errr…. just going to the bathroom. I have to pee.”

Cory looked disappointed. “Oh I was kind of enjoying being held. I thought we could talk a little about last night, but only if you want to.”

JJ didn’t know what to say, she wanted to talk to Cory, and she wanted to spill her feelings; open her heart to this woman but something told her this wasn’t the right time. Something in her gut told her to leave the room, she smiled sweetly at her friend. “I’d love to stay cuddled up to you all day, and I slept like a baby, but my bladder is full and someone promised me a trip to the city.” She saw the sides of Cory’s mouth turn up and that relaxed her; things were going to be okay.

Cory felt the nervous feeling, she’d had since she’d woken disappear. She’d sort of woken a few minutes earlier but had felt so content, so happy when she’d realised where she was; whose arms were around her and she’d wanted to stay there forever, so she’d faked sleep and enjoyed feeling JJ’s breath on her neck: on her hair.

She’d been disappointed when she had finally woken up properly to feel JJ pull away but the smile and playfulness in JJ’s voice had told her that things were okay, things were going to be fine, she returned a smile in JJ’s direction, “Yep you’re right a trip to the city it is, we can chat in the car maybe,’ she looked into JJ’s eyes and received a wink and a nod, “plus I have to walk the dog anyways.”

She looked around the room and for the first time she noticed the absence of Holly. She glanced at the door, she was positive she’d left it open last night and if Holly had gone out she couldn’t have shut the door, her eyes darted in panic to JJ.

JJ looked at Cory’s startled face, her eyes were wide and her skin had gone deathly white. “Hey what’s wrong?”

“Holly’s not here!” Cory jumped up from the bed.

“Maybe she went downstairs, she probably got bored of waiting and went to walk herself. She’s a clever dog!” JJ chuckled as she said it.

“She’s clever but she has yet to work out how to close the door by pulling the handle.” Cory signaled to the door with her head.

“Oh shit! Think it was Sam?” JJ walked round the bed and placed a hand on Cory’s arm. “Hey if it was him he obviously didn’t think too much as he would have woken us up. All he would have seen was us sleeping.”

Cory raised her eyebrows, “JJ how close were we sleeping when you woke up?”

JJ blushed at the memory of how close Cory’s body had been to hers, where her skin was touching hers and how it had felt to hold the blonde in her arms. “Okay point taken, we were close. Let’s go and check it out before we jump to conclusions. Nothing happened Cory, just remember that when he asks what’s going on; nothing happened.”

“Yeah thanks to you. Can you imagine what he would have walked in on had you not been so strong?”

“Let’s not even go there!” With that Cory went in search of Sam, JJ slipped quietly into the bathroom deciding a low profile was the best way to start the day.

Cory went back to her room; she saw Sam’s overnight bag on the floor next to the bed. This confirmed what she already knew; he’d come home early. She let out a slow breath ‘nothing happened, nothing happened.’ She thought to herself. She continued to whisper this mantra in her head as she stepped into the shower. She had thought about going to look for Sam but decided she’d play it cool.

As the water trickled down her face and pounded on her back she thought about the previous night. She knew in her heart she’d have gone all the way with JJ. She’d been so turned on, her whole body had been pulsing and the desire that had mounted in between her legs had felt like she was going to explode. She’d have been powerless to resist any advances JJ had made but then JJ hadn’t made any. JJ hadn’t wanted her. She’d said she had but surely if she’d felt anything like Cory had she wouldn’t have been able to resist. Maybe she’d read the wrong signs. Maybe JJ was just trying to let her down gently.

She took a long time in the shower, trying to get her head around her feelings, around how she felt and what she was going to say to Sam. As she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel she heard the bedroom door open. She wandered out of the en suite naked except for the towel in her right hand; she gently toweled the water from her hair as she greeted Sam.

“Hi I didn’t realise you’d come home. How was work?” she continued to towel herself off trying to hide the fact that her whole body was shaking. She didn’t know what to say or what Sam was thinking.

Sam looked at his wife, she had a beautiful body, and her blonde hair fell across her shoulder, wet strands sticking to the white skin. His eyes traveled to her toned legs and well shaped bottom, finally his eyes lifted to his wife’s face as she spoke.

“I made good time and decided to come back here before going over to your mother’s, she phoned my mobile and asked me if I’d spend the day with Fred, she needed to run errands and felt that Fred would want another man around should he need changing or help with the bathroom. I wanted to grab some comfortable clothes. I was kind of surprised you were in the other room when I got back.”

Cory gave a nervous laugh, “I was being a baby, I got all upset about granddad and I began to have nightmares about his death. JJ offered me comfort and I guess I fell asleep.”

“So that’s all that happened?” Sam looked hurt as he spoke these words.

“That’s all that happened. What are you implying?” Cory began her little mantra again ‘nothing happened, nothing happened’.

“Well look at it from my point of view I come home and find my wife in the arms of a lesbian, a beautiful one at that. What else am I meant to think?” Sam began to peel off his clothes.

Cory took a deep breath and wrapped the towel around herself, her blood was boiling, her temper rising, “ Sam this is a hard time for me at the moment, I’m trying to be brave, trying to be strong for mum and granddad but inside my heart is breaking and I needed to be held. I needed the pain to go away and you weren’t here and one of my best friends was, regardless of her sexuality. Would you be asking me this if it had been Angie or Rachel who’d been comforting me. Just because she’s gay doesn’t mean she fancies me. She has a girlfriend and she has high morals.”

She stomped angrily about the bedroom, guilt making her even angrier; she shouldn’t be taking her feelings out on Sam. He had a right to be cross if JJ hadn’t stopped them she’d have made love to the woman. She needed to calm down, she walked over to Sam, “I’m sorry Sam I didn’t mean to have a go at you. I know you have to work and I know you’re here for me. This is just hard for me, I never thought he’d die; I never thought I’d have to face up to his death. He always seemed indestructible, he’s never been ill and he’s always been there for me. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Sam saw the pain etched in Cory’s face, he took her in his arms, “Babe he’s had a good life, he’s a wonderful bloke but it’s time to say goodbye and I know it’s hard but you can’t let it eat at you. You never talk to me about how you feel.”

“That’s because I’m not sure you understand, you’re not close to your family, you don’t need them and the way you speak it’s very unemotional. How do you say goodbye to your hero? How do I let go of the love I feel for him. He’s the only man who has always been there for me.” As she said the words she knew she’d struck a blow to Sam’s pride, knew she might as well have hit him with her own hand but the words had been spoken.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Sam spat the words from his mouth.

“I didn’t mean it like that Sam. I just meant he’s been there for me the whole of my life, always supported my choices and been the guiding light in my life. Me and you do have issues Sam and you know that, I do think we need to sit down and talk but maybe now isn’t the right time, JJ is here and she’s probably heard the whole of this discussion.”

Sam picked up his wash bag and headed towards the shower, he muttered under his breath, “God forbid we upset JJ.”

“What is your problem with her? You never like my friends; you never take time to get to know them unless there is something in it for you. I will not have this discussion at the moment. I need some space, some time to think. I appreciate you spending the day with granddad as I am taking JJ to London and we’re going to stop over. JJ’s flight is early Saturday morning; after I drop JJ off at the airport I’ll head back and spend the whole of Saturday with him. Maybe we can sit down on Sunday and talk, we do need to talk whether you like it or not.”

Sam glared at Cory, “What do we have to talk about? Life is okay, we’re doing fine.”

“Sam if you really believe this then you obviously haven’t listened to a word I’ve said previously. We never make love, we never talk feelings.”

“You always bring this up Cory, you always come back round to this. It’s my problem and I will solve it.” With these words he slammed the bathroom door and left Cory staring into the space where he had stood.

JJ had listened to the raised voices coming form the other room, she had tried not to listen but human nature had won and she’d listened, worried for her friend and hoping that Sam’s temper wouldn’t turn violent. She’d kill the guy if he hurt her friend.

She’d showered quickly, her mind running over what had happened, she couldn’t believe she’d had the woman of her dreams in her arms and she’d been noble. She couldn’t believe she’d finally found morals. Her body had been on fire, every touch of Cory’s tongue had sent tingling sensations down her spine and straight to her core, every suck on her fingers had sent electric jolts straight to her desire and then she’d found her hand covering Cory’s mouth. She hadn’t done it for herself, she hadn’t given Sarah another thought but she knew her friend and she knew Cory would have never forgiven herself.

She loved Cory and she needed Cory to come to her when she wasn’t looking for comfort, when she wasn’t frightened and looking for someone to take the hurt away. If Cory truly loved her then she wanted her to have no doubts and she wanted them both to be free. Last night had made JJ realise how little she felt for Sarah and how dead the relationship was, she knew Sam and Cory had problems but Cory was straight, Cory was married and until Cory knew what she wanted JJ had to be strong.

The raised voices had disappeared; silence reigned through the house. She finished packing her bags and checked she had collected all her gear from the bathroom and side of the bed. She glanced round the room, breathing in the scents, she could still smell the slightest hint of Cory in the room, and the woman had a unique scent, a mixture of mint, a musky sleep filled scent and the slightest hint of perfume.

She headed for the stairs at the same time Cory opened the bedroom door, the green tear stained eyes met concerned blue ones.

JJ bent down to pick up Cory’s bag, “You ok?”

“Well it didn’t go according to plan but I’ll survive. I guess I don’t need to tell you what was said knowing how thin the walls are!” She smiled at JJ, “You ready for your magical mystery tour?”

The beginning part of the journey to London was quiet; neither woman knew quite what to say. JJ didn’t want to upset Cory anymore than she already was and Cory was still smarting over Sam’s attitude to their problems and she had a major guilt complex. They’d grabbed some cereal bars and set off around 9am, the traffic was steady, mainly lorries, and most of the major morning traffic had cleared up, and the traffic reports were good. The radio was playing music from an unknown year and the pair spent the time trying to guess the year, which lightened the atmosphere in the car. Cory was a pro at this game and guessed both golden years correctly.

“You’re pretty good at this game. I’m impressed you got the last year I hadn’t heard of half the songs.”

Cory glanced at her traveling companion, “I tend to link memories to songs and smells and so when I hear a song it reminds me of a person or event; I was struggling on whether the year was 1991 or 1990 but the last two songs were ones Jon and I used to dance to and we were together 1990. It’s the same with smells certain scents conjure up events of the past without this kind of link my memory is shit.”

JJ nodded and looked out of the window, she was enjoying the drive, and she wanted to talk to Cory about the night before. They had said they’d talk on the way down but as she wasn’t good with words she’d been hoping that Cory would start the conversation when there was no sign of her doing that JJ decided to leave it up to Cory. She’d already had one emotional discussion this morning she probably didn’t need another.

The journey to London took just over 2 hours, Cory had arranged a room at one for the travel lodges near Heathrow airport, JJ’s flight was very early on the Saturday morning and the hotel was close enough to London to catch the train in. They pulled up to the hotel and parked close to the entrance, both women heaved their luggage out and locked the car.

The receptionist greeted them with a smile, “How can I help you?”

“I have a room booked under the name of Cory Williams for two nights.” She tapped her fingers on the desktop as she waited for the confirmation.

“Ah yes Mrs Williams, a double room checking out Saturday morning.” Cory looked at the receptionist and then to JJ.

“I think there may be a mix up I ordered a twin room.” She looked back at JJ who had a smirk on her face obviously enjoying her friend’s predicament.

The receptionist searched the database again. “I’m sorry it’s definitely a double but I think we may have a twin on the second floor. We’re quite full at the moment but if you don’t mind waiting I may be able to find you one.”

Cory looked over her shoulder at JJ, “What do you want to do?”

“A double is okay with me if you don’t mind. I think I’ve proved to you I don’t snore!” She smiled as Cory blushed a deep red and the receptionist lifted an eyebrow and tried to hide her smile as a flustered Cory babbled out that they’d take the room.

After signing in they began winding their way down several corridors, “You are a wicked woman JJ Matthews and I will pay you back!”

“Me hey what did I do? My reply was very innocent. It’s not my fault you blush for England!” JJ gently jostled Cory as she struggled to keep her balance under the weight of her bag.

“I think this is us. How about we get settled and then head out to see a little bit of London before night fall?” The pair entered the room, it looked very basic but at the same time cozy. There was a double bed and a television. Cory checked out the bathroom and was pleased to see a huge bath with a shower.

JJ placed her bag on the right side of the bed and began to unpack her nightclothes and wash bag. She was pleased the hotel had made a mistake with the booking at least she would have the chance to sleep side by side with Cory for her last two nights in England. She just hoped her resolve from the previous night would hold up. She wanted Cory desperately, needed her and the thought that in two days she would be gone and 3000 miles away made her ache inside.

Cory looked over at JJ; she was sat on the bed with her wash bag in her hand and a hurt far away look on her face. Panic shot down Cory’s body, ‘Shit I should have made the receptionist find us a twin.’ She didn’t know what to do or what to say JJ obviously felt uncomfortable and Cory felt guilty, she was forcing herself on JJ. ‘Time to back off and give her space.’ Cory thought as she emptied out her own bag.

The two women headed to London, the receptionist had called them a taxi to the train station and then a train into the centre of the city. They arrived at Euston station and needed to negotiate The Tube.

“Okay you’re the visitor which part of London do you fancy visiting first?” Cory asked JJ as they found a clear space in front of one of the maps.

JJ looked at the map, she had no idea where she wanted to go, if she was honest with herself all she wanted to do was go back to the hotel room a ravage the blonde beside her. She was beginning to regret being so honorable the night before. “How about tea with Auntie Liz?”

Cory looked at her with a confused expression on her face, it took a few seconds before the penny dropped and then she giggled and threw a pretend punch in JJ’s direction. “To the palace then. I can’t promise the Queen will be there but if she knows the best looking Yank is in town you never know!”

They ended up buying a small guidebook and map as Cory had only been to London a few times and had no idea really where many of the attractions were. It took a short ride to reach the stop they needed.

They walked up the stone steps and out into bright sunshine, which reflected off the wet floor and caused the two women to be dazzled momentarily. JJ reached for her sunglasses, this caused Cory to shake her head. JJ noticed, “What you shaking your head at Missy?” as she placed the Ray bans over her eyes.

“You’re seriously going to walk round London in the middle of winter wearing sunglasses?”

“Yep! The sun is bright, it hurts my eyes, and sunglasses were invented for that purpose. What’s the problem?”

“You may as well stamp tourist on your head, we rarely wear sunglasses in summer let alone winter!”

JJ poked her tongue out at Cory, “Well when you’re 50 and you’ve got wrinkles all round your eyes from squinting then I will try very hard not to say I told you so!”

Cory smiled, the thought of being 50 and still in the company of JJ made her feel whole, she liked the sound of that even if she had those wrinkles! She was nudged out of her daydream by JJ’s shout. “Hey Cory, take a picture of me near the underground sign.” JJ had the enthusiasm of a kid, “you know how I hate having my picture taken!”

Cory got the camera ready, “Ok JJ seeing as you asked so nicely!” Her mood was lifting and she was starting to catch JJ’s enthusiasm. “But hey don’t put on that big smile like you usually do it looks fake!” Cory liked winding up JJ.

“Hey do I say anything about how you tilt your head and the way hold your foot!” JJ shouted back.

The two had begun to wind each other up after the castle visit, JJ had noticed that Cory had certain poses for pictures and whilst she looked as cute as a button she didn’t look as relaxed as she usually was. Cory had also pointed out that JJ beamed way too much in photos and whilst she had a great smile it came across on photos as being forced.

“Okay Smiley One, after three say cheese! One.. two.. three.” Cory took the picture and the girls continued on their journey.

Their agenda began with a trip to the palace, with JJ having high hopes of catching a glimpse of the royal family. They walked down a few roads in the direction that Cory thought was the way to the Palace, she’d been Buckingham Palace a few times but always with people who knew London well, she’d never been the official guide before.

After a while she had to admit she really had no idea where the palace was, she knew they must be in the right area as the houses were very ornate and had an air of money and they were near St James Park which she knew was where Prince Charles lived near. Cory took out the map and began to read it, turned it upside down, sideways, every which way. She looked at JJ with a what do you think look.

JJ responded, “Hey it’s your country, I say we go this way, but if we get lost or go the long way it’s not my fault.” JJ gave Cory a mischievous grin.

Cory’s stomach did a flip. She couldn’t believe simple things like this could be so much fun. By now Sam would have ripped the map out of her hand and told her how useless she was; then again they’d have been there by now, as he would have planned all this before they’d left.

They crossed a busy road and began to walk round a very high wall. “Okay I know the palace is in that direction. I think this is the wall that leads to the gardens of the palace. I think it’s just a matter of taking a left or a right at the garden, I am sure that Auntie Liz is waiting for you with a cup of tea!” Cory pointed to the area that was surrounded by a tall brick wall.

As they walked round, it became apparent that they had walked in a huge circle and if they’d taken a left rather than a right they would have reached the palace straight away but Cory didn’t mind she loved walking and talking with JJ. She liked pointing out different buildings along the way.

As they walked down what seemed the final stretch she saw JJ physically shiver, she linked arms with her. This caused the American to stare down at their linked arms. “You okay with this?”

“Hey this is the UK we all walk round linking arms. Keeps us out of mischief or getting lost, my mum always made me link arms with people. You okay with it?”

“I guess so. I’m just not used to walking round so openly like this, we don’t tend to do this at home.” As she spoke they rounded another corner and came face to face with what seemed like a million other tourists. She gazed at the crowds, for some reason she’d thought she’d be the only one there. She stared at the palace it was beautiful, so ornate with gold trim around objects. It was huge and she couldn’t believe how massive it really was. It took her breath away, she looked at the gates, she’d seen the gates only once before and that had been on the news when the death of Princess Diane had been announced. She never ever dreamt she’d be standing at those same gates.

There were people standing 5 deep trying to get photos of the Queen’s guards. Standing as still as statues they guarded the castle. Dressed in what looked like a thick grey coat and black bearskin hat.

“They’re not allowed to move a muscle or acknowledge anyone.” Cory whispered in JJ’s ear. “I have no idea how they manage it, I’d go crazy after 5 minutes.”

JJ smiled, “You’d never last 5 minutes. You even fidget in your sleep!”

Cory opened her mouth to protest but snapped it shut, she was right Sam had often said it was like sleeping with a snake! She thought about the evening to come and sleeping with JJ again. She was finding it very hard to keep her hands off the woman, She felt very clingy, she needed to touch JJ every other second and had finally given in and linked arms with the woman. There was definitely an attraction she couldn’t explain but she was drawn to JJ even when they were doing everyday basic things she’d noticed that they both crept into the others personal space.

“It’s beautiful Cory, can I take a photo of you in front of the gates.” They had to wait several minutes before they could get a clear shot. JJ played with the camera’s zoom lens while they waited for people to clear and she spent the time just staring through the lens at Cory; she was just gorgeous. Her eyes were staring straight at the camera and there was an open, trusting look on her face. JJ began to think about the next day. It would be their last together. She wasn’t sure if she could ever leave this wonderful woman without her knowing how she truly felt. Maybe tonight she’d pluck up the courage and open her heart.

After the palace, they walked up towards Pall Mall, and onto the main streets, they’d decided that as it was getting into late afternoon they’d just walk round and look at the city and then get up and do the tour of London properly form one of the guide buses.

They enjoyed riding the tube back and forth and did a bit of shopping on Oxford Street, before deciding their last port of call would be Big Ben.

As they climbed the stairs out of the tube station they were greeted by the dark of early evening and Big Ben all lit up. The clock tower was huge; Cory couldn’t believe how big it was. She’d seen Big Ben loads of times on the evening news but never really thought about how beautiful the actual building was.

She laughed as JJ tried to move her camera every way to try and get the whole building in. “This is Big Ben, well the bell inside is actually Big Ben but everyone just calls the building it. It’s beautiful all lit up.” They took the photos and wandered up to the bridge over the Thames, Cory gasped, she’d seen the Eye on TV but as it was a new attraction she’d never seen it for real. It was huge and all lit up in neon blue. It rose above the river and was slowly turning taking its passengers on their journey over London.

Both women leaned on the wall of the bridge, watching the world go by, the smell of hotdogs form a nearby stall filled their nostrils and the lapping of the river against the wall was all they could hear, it was a magical moment and the two leaned into each other just content to be together, two souls finally home in each others company.

By the time the two of them arrived back at the hotel they were both starving, the hotel had a nice, quiet restaurant and a bar. They’d decided to eat at the hotel and hopefully catch a show and eat in the China Town section the following night. JJ had expressed the desire to see either Les Miserable or Cats and Cory didn’t mind, as she loved both musicals. She’d secretly wanted to take to JJ to see a show and whilst the tall, dark woman had gone into the shower, she’d set about trying to get standby tickets for one of the shows. She’d written down a few of the box office phone numbers earlier in the day but after a few phone calls the only tickets available were for shows she didn’t think would appeal to either of them and she’d especially wanted to take JJ to see Les Mis; her favourite musical. She decided a meal at the hotel might be an easier option.

They dressed casually for dinner, both choosing black jeans and woolen jumpers. Cory had chosen an emerald green top, which brought out the colour of her eyes and JJ had worn her red turtleneck sweater. The menu was simple but the food was good and the two women carried on discussing life, loves and the universe.

As the wine flowed JJ became curious about Cory’s sexuality, she knew all about Cory’s past and her relationship with Deb. She knew Cory was attracted to both women and men but she wanted to know more.

She decided to jump in with both feet and discuss the previous night a subject they’d both ignored all day. “So if I hadn’t have put my hand over your mouth last night would you have kissed me?”

Cory was a little shocked at the question; she hadn’t expected it and had begun to think it had been a dream. She looked into the sapphire blue eyes, so open and so honest; they seemed to bore inside her soul. She nodded, never taking her eyes off JJ. “Yes I’d have kissed you.” They held the gaze longer than was necessary, Cory wanted to know why JJ hadn’t wanted to kiss her. “But you didn’t want to kiss me.”

JJ’s face took on a stricken look, “You’re wrong Cory I wanted to kiss you; I still do but I’m a little confused. What about Sam? I don’t know what you want from me. You have a husband and a settled life and are you really willing to give it all up for me? You’ve said it yourself you didn’t want to be open about your sexuality when you were with Deb, what makes you so sure now you’re gay? I mean are you gay, straight or bi? I’m unsure and I think you are too.” JJ had no idea where this speech had come from; she hadn’t meant to say so much. A simple yes would have sufficed but she needed to know. They had one more day together and they needed to sort out their feelings.

“I don’t know JJ, I don’t know how I’m feeling all I know is when you’re around me I feel so alive, I feel things I’ve never felt before emotionally and…sexually. As to whether I’m gay, straight or bi I really don’t know. Why do I need a label? I just know how I feel JJ when I’m with you.”

“I need to know Cory. I need to know that I’m not going to be a passing phase, that I’m not just an experiment or a bored housewife's five-minute fancy. You know the old saying never go with a straight woman they’ll break your heart, well you could break mine and I’m not sure I’d survive.” JJ drained her glass, yet again she’d said more than she’d expected to but there was something about Cory that made her open up; made her want to reveal her innermost thoughts.

Cory shrugged, she had no idea what she was expected to say. She felt her emotions begin to crumble. She rose awkwardly, “I need some time to think JJ, and I promise one thing I’ll never hurt you intentionally. I’m going back to the room I know this is awful of me but I need to think and I’m very aware that we only have one more day but I need some time to think through what you just said and what I want. Can I meet you in the bar later?” She looked up to see JJ nodding, she reached into her wallet to get out her money to pay for the meal but a strong hand surrounded hers and prevented her from continuing.

“This is my treat Cory, I’ll be in the bar take all the time you need. I’ll be okay I will be waiting at the bar for you.”

Part 19

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