When sheâd seen the text, Lilly couldnât help but be confused. It wasnât that uncommon that people got pregnant, but not when they had girlfriends. Especially Alexa, who Lilly knew was someone who would never cheat, so unless there was something she didnât know about Dani, she wasnât entirely sure what Alexa could be worried about. Still, that didnât stop her from agreeing to let her come over. Of course, she had to tell her shadow of a bodyguard to find something else to do and leave them alone, but heâd agreed. When she heard Alexa come in, she met her at the door, smiling softly at her, and holding her arms out for a hug, knowing the girl was stressing, even if she didnât understand why. âShould we preface this with some talking, or just get right to it, rip the band-aid and all of that?â
Maybe it was just because she was freaking out in general that Alexa had assumed Lilly would be mad at her, but she really shouldâve known better. In all of the years theyâd known each other, she couldnât remember ever fighting with the other girl, nor had she ever felt judged by her. She knew Lilly would ask questions before she added her input, but the hug helped her to relax a little bit regardless. Lexi wrapped her arms around her, holding on tightly for a moment longer than she normally wouldâve. She just needed the comfort, apparently. Stepping back finally, she took a deep breath, considering her options, before finally shaking her head. âIâd rather rip off the band-aid,â she decided, taking Lillyâs hand and heading in the direction of the bathroom. She was bringing her in there with her whether she liked it or not, and didnât let go until they were inside. Alexa reached into her purse and pulled out one of the three tests sheâd boughtâshe had to be sure, after allâthen held out the package to Lilly. âIs it literally just a pee on it and itâll show up positive or negative kind of thing? I canât even read it, I donât have my glasses and I feel sick. You have to.â
Although Alexa liked to consider herself a strong person, this was proving to be too much even for her. As if whatâd happened hadnât been bad enough, sheâd spent the last week throwing up at random, impromptu times, and was over a week late for what was usually a very regular period. A part of her wanted to believe it was just stress, and she planned to hold onto that until the last possible second, but she needed to be sure. She just couldnât find out on her own, that was all. So, despite promising herself sheâd never tell anybody about that night, sheâd texted her best friend with shaky hands. She needed someone who would be there for her regardless of the outcome, and wasnât trying to involve her family. It had taken all of her courage to pick up the tests at the pharmacy, and now they were hidden away safely in her purse as she let herself into Lillyâs place, then made her way slowly inside to find the other girl, kind of terrified of any judgment she may be met with.
Just this weekâand finals... but we totally wonât talk about thoseâto go and then weâre out for the summer. Is anyone else as hype as I am? I quit my job, so Iâm pretty fucking pumped to have an entire summer to do anything. Give me ideas, because this whole freedom thing is a foreign concept to me. Your girlâs been making the strip club everything that it is for way too many years now.
NOTESÂ â Alexa doesnât feel well and Dani can tell somethingâs up.
Lexi didnât know how much longer she could keep this up. It wasnât so much the hiding what had happened part, but more so the part where she didnât feel like herself anymore. She missed herself, she wanted herself back, but sheâd been lost ever since that night, and it really was killing her. The fact that sheâd even been making it to classes had been a miracle, though her head definitely wasnât in the game at all, and sheâd been working as little as possible. Fortunately, her boss was always happy to work around her schedule, so Lexi had layered the topic of finals on very thick, and Frank had cut back her hours at her request. Sheâd only worked three times since itâd all happened, and theyâd been short shifts, where Alexaâs mind had been totally elsewhere, and sheâd stuck to walking around in her underwear and bringing drinks to tables, rather than actually dancing, and giving lap dances was completely out of the question for her. Frank hadnât pushed, which she was grateful for. She was also grateful for a weekend off, and could really think of nothing better than lounging around with her girlfriend and their dogs like they were right now. Alexa was curled into Dani, while the dogs played on the floor, her eyes on the TV, though she wasnât paying much attention. One big issue ever since it had happened was that, no matter what she did, she always felt dirty. Sheâd showered once today while Dani had been out, and couldnât resist the urge she had to go scrub herself clean again now. âBabe,â she tilted her head back to look up at her girlfriend, giving her a soft smile, âIâm gonna go shower, okay? Iâm not really paying attention to this, but you can tell me if I miss anything exciting.â She pushed herself upright, turning back to the other girl and pressing a small kiss to the corner of her mouth. âIâll be quick.
Dani was never really good at telling when something was wrong. Unless someone was to tell her exactly what was going on, she would assume that everything was fine. It was different with Lexi. There was something that didn't feel quite tight, although Dani couldn't put her finger on it. Things around the house seemed as normal as usual. Other than the fact that they hadn't sex since before their last fight. At first Dani had been worried that Lexi was still pissed, but she didn't seem like she was. Then she started to wonder if she was making it up on her head. It was close to the end of the school year, everyone was worried about finals. It wouldn't be so weird if they focused on that for now. It still didn't seem right, though. Not that she had told that to her girlfriend. Truth be told, she didn't know how to bring it up. What was she supposed to say? That she felt a disturbance in the force? She might as well accept that she's probably just paranoid. With the two of them being cuddled up together now, she didn't feel like anything was wrong. The whole sex thing very well could be because they're busy with other things. Which is fine. Shit happens and that's totally cool with Dani. Still, when her girlfriend stood up to say she was taking a shower, she wasn't going to pass up on in the opportunity. "Well, actually." She said, pushing herself up quickly. "I'm not really paying attention to this, either, so I wouldn't be much help." She shrugged. "I would totally be a lot more help if I joined you."
Lexi missed plenty of other things about how she was before everything had happened, not just herself. She missed being able to be close to Dani without flinching whenever the other girl so much as brushed her hand a little too close to her chest, and she really missed sex with her. What had happened definitely hadnât made her less attracted to her girlfriend. She wished so badly that she could just climb on top of her and start fucking her, but she was scared that Dani would reciprocate. The thought of being touched terrified her, and Lexi wasnât willing to risk it. She was sure Dani would start to question her soon, but so far, sheâd been in the clear. Finals were keeping everybody busy, so if her girlfriend was to ask, that would be her excuse. For now, she was just going to continue as she was, and hope that the subject didnât come up. It was probably stupid of her to even mention showering; she shouldâve gotten up, said sheâd be right back, then gone in her own bathroom and locked the door. Of course Dani was going to want to join her if she knew where she was going, and Lexi really couldnât blame her. Truth be told, she wanted her to join her, too. She just didnât want what it would lead to. The moment of panic she felt when her girlfriend began to sit up too was something she was able to quickly hide, and instead just smiled as she looked at her. âYouâre cute. I donât know if I really feel like it, though,â she said, now frowning. âNot you coming with me, I just mean I donât know if I feel like showering anymore. Sitting up kind of made my head spin,â she lied, âI think I need to just lay back down. And since neither of us are watching this, maybe we could just turn it off, go lay in one of our beds and get our cuddle on?â
Dani: me raised her eyebrow in confusion. Lexi had never turned her down before, so that was the last thing she had expected her to say. Or maybe she wasn't exactly turning her down, but it was really weird that she suddenly didn't want to get into the shower. Dani had gotten up just as quickly and she didn't feel dizzy. Although, that might not mean anything. Lexi could be sick for all she knew. The thought made her frown, because she really didn't know. Something didn't feel right and that frustrated her. "Oh." She mumbled, throwing herself back. She didn't know what else to say, but she wasn't about to throw a fit because her girlfriend didn't want to shower with her. Ouch. Thinking about it like that kind of stung. "Yeah, sure. We can do that." She said, forcing herself up to turn off the tv. She was okay with cuddling, so that was no big deal, but she still thought it was really weird. Lexi changed her mind really quick. So quick that Dani didn't really believe her when she said it wasn't because she wanted to join her. She seemed all for it until then. "Whose room are we going to? We can always go to mine, but be warned; it's a mess. Ya know, like always."
Lexi was better at reading Dani than Dani was at reading her, and she could tell that she definitely didn't believe her. The way she reacted made it obvious, and Alexa felt terrible. It wasn't Dani's fault that this had happened to her. It wasn't anyone's fault but her own; if she wasn't working the escort job on the side, this would've never happened. It was karma finally getting her back, she was sure of it. Still, that wasn't her girlfriend's fault, and it made Lexi feel like shit that the other girl was suffering for it. She wasn't sure whether it was because she was lying and feeling bad about it, or if she was just imagining it, but she started to feel a little nauseous out of nowhere. She tried to ignore it, though, and instead held out her hand to the other girl once she'd turned off the TV. "I'm not feeling brave enough to deal with the aftermath of hurricane Dani right now," she teased, taking her girlfriend's hand, "Let's go with my room." Lexi didn't want to overcompensate, but she also didn't want Dani to know something was wrong, so squeezed onto her hand gently, tugging her closer. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" She asked in a softer voice, pouting her lips and pointing to them for Dani to kiss her.
Dani had to force a laugh at the 'hurricane Dani' thing. She usually liked the teasing, so she wouldn't have to fake anything if she didn't have something on her mind. Mostly trying to figure out what was going on with her girlfriend. She hated feeling like something was wrong and not knowing what it was, but she was paranoid now. Or maybe it wasn't nothing. Maybe there was something going it. It was the not knowing that would drive her crazy. If she continued to feel this way, she would demand some answers. The only reason she wasn't now was because, it could still be nothing at that point. At least Lexi didn't seem upset about anything, so Dani could let it go for now and go to bed with her. "No." She smiled softly, shaking her head before she leaned on to kiss her. "I love you, too. Now let's go lay down. I'm suddenly feeling tired." She lied, leading Lexi to her room. She didn't feel the least bit tired, but she wanted to lay down with her girlfriend. She would at least feel a little better if they were cuddled up again. That was always comforting, even when Lexi was the one confusing her.
Lexi could tell the small laugh was fake, and as much as it sucked to know all of this was obviously bothering her girlfriend, she at least appreciated her trying to act like things were okay. Alexa knew how unhealthy this all was; all of the faking around one another, but right now, it was necessary for her, so she was in no position to tell Dani to stop it. At least the smile looked genuine when sheâd paused to tell her she loved her, and Lexiâs words were definitely true. Her feelings for the other girl were something she didnât have to fake, nor was her own smile when she felt her girlfriendâs lips against her own. âI love you,â she said softly, kissing back. The kiss didnât last as long as she wouldâve liked it to, but at least they were still touching as Dani led the way up to her room, with Lexi lacing their fingers. Usually, she wouldâve been doing flirty little things now, like reaching out to grab her girlfriendâs butt, or pulling her back to start kissing her neck from behind, her hands wandering inside of her shirt or just slightly slipping inside of her pants, but Alexa couldnât even face the thought of that now. She wanted to be like that with Dani so badly; she just didnât dare to let her be the same way back. Holding her hand, though, she could do, so it sucked to have to let go once theyâd reached her room, but it was necessary. âIâm just gonna change real quick, but if youâre tired, you should lay down,â she said, offering the other girl a small smile as she headed for her pajama drawer. She grabbed a gray tank and pajama shorts, hoping that Dani wouldnât question the fact that she wasnât just going to strip down to her underwearâor even lessâlike she usually would, and disappeared into her bathroom, locking the door behind her, before her girlfriend could even stop her. It was pathetic that she was too scared to change in front of the person she loved, and Lexi really hated herself for it.
Dani had never been the best at reading people. Unless they were someone she was close with, she didn't care enough to try. Since she cared about Lexi more than anyone, she could definitely tell when something felt off. And things felt way off. The problem was, Dani wasn't sure if she even wanted to know. She could be good at living in denial. She could brush off her problems as her just being paranoid, but how long would all of that really last? She honestly didn't know. She wished that she did, because at least then she would have some sort of plan. If she was smart, she would think of a way to bring this up. That way they can talk things out rationally, even if it was just to reassure Dani that things were okay. Unfortunately, doing things rationally had never really been her style. She was the kind of person who would bottle things up until she exploded. Why? Who really knew. She was just set in her ways now. At the very least, that meant that she could lay with her girlfriend and pretend that everything was okay. It wasn't exactly ideal, but if Lexi had something to say, she could just say it. Dani wasn't going to push her. She pouted when Lexi let go of her hand, already missing the contact. "Fine. Just change quickly." When it came to her girlfriend, Dani of course wanted to be around her, but lately she felt this need to cling to her. Probably because she was getting this vibe that she was pulling away. It certainly didn't help when her girlfriend grabbed her clothes and went straight for the bathroom. That was really fucking weird. Since when did she need to go to another room to change? This would hardly be the first time she's changed in front of Dani. "Okay, then...." She mumbled, sighing in confusion as she threw herself into the bed. Whatever was going on was starting to feel really bad. It was killing Dani that she didn't know what it was. She knew one thing for sure, though. She better not hear her girlfriend turn on that damn shower.
Lexi knew that none of this was fair to Dani. She hadnât asked for this. Neither had Alexa, or at least not in so many words. This was more her fault than it was her girlfriendâs, though, so it really did kill her to know how much she was either hurting or confusing her. Maybe both, in fact. She tried her hardest not to think about the look on her girlfriendâs face as she disappeared into the bathroom, her heart racing until the door was locked. This was so pathetic. Dani would never hurt her, sheâd never do anything to make her uncomfortable. Yet, here she was, hiding her body away from her. The shower was right there, and Lexi considered jumping in, but she decided against it. If Dani wasnât already questioning everything, she was sure as soon as she heard the water running, thatâd screw everything up. So, instead, she quickly changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas, tossing the clothes into the hamper, then headed back out to the bedroom. She hoped how fast she was would help a little bit, and forced a bright smile as soon as she was in the room again. âHi,â she greeted, climbing onto the bed and laying down on her back with her head on the pillows, though she turned her face towards her girlfriend, just looking at her for a moment. Dani really was beautiful, and Lexi would honestly dare to say she was probably the best thing to have ever happened to her. That thought had started an inward battle with herself lately about whether she should end things with her, because this wasnât fair to her. She couldnât, though. Maybe she was selfish, but she just couldnât let her go. âCome cuddle with me,â she eventually whispered, holding out her hand, âYouâre too far away.â
Dani would be lying if she said she wasn't tempted to just go to her own room. There were only so many things she could let go before she snapped. If she thought she was paranoid before; that was slowly fading away right now. It was easy to blame some things on stress and finals, so that's what she had done at first. They two of them were busy, things would be better come summertime. That made sense. Or it used to make sense. That didn't exactly explain why Lexi seemed so jumpy, or why she couldn't do something as simple as change in front of Dani. That's what was really weird. If she didn't want to shower with her, that was one thing. It was still confusing for Dani, but she wasn't going to be pushy about it. Changing in front of her, though? That shouldn't even be a big deal. It never had been before. They were having sex way before they were even together, so it's not like she was hiding something that Dani had never seen before. Unless she wasn't just changing in there, but Dani dismissed that thought as quickly as she had it. What the hell else could she be doing? Even if she was hiding something, which Dani was sure she was, she was out of that bathroom too quickly to be up to something. At least, that's what Dani had told herself. Truth be told, she was just trying to make sense of everything. That was probably the worst thing she could do, because her own thoughts and conclusions could be much worse than what it actually was. Or she could be right and it was something bad. If Lexi had taken even a second longer, Dani probably would have left to her room. The laying there and wondering was really freaking her out. Still, despite the fact that she was confused by all of this, she did her best to act okay as she waited for her girlfriend to join her. As her girlfriend held her hand out to her, she moved without even thinking twice. "Am I too far away?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. The question didn't stop her from moving closer, since she wanted to be next to her, but she couldn't even be sure if the feeling was mutual. Not when she could practically feel her girlfriend pulling away from her.
Lexi was half waiting for the other girl to ask her why sheâd changed in there, so she thanked whoever was looking down on her for the fact that she wasnât questioned. She really wouldnât have had an excuse. She wouldâve thought of something, sure, but the thought of flat out lying to her girlfriend even more so than she already was made her stomach turn. She already felt nauseous, so she didnât need to unintentionally make it worse for herself. Lexi expected laying down to help the way she was feeling, though it didnât. If anything, it just made her feel even more sick, though she tried to ignore it, telling herself it was just in her head, and that she needed to focus on Dani. That was easy to do when her girlfriend moved closer to her, and Alexaâs smile was a genuine one once she had her in her arms. âThatâs better,â she mumbled, closing her eyes for a second as she pulled Dani closer, her other arm wrapping around her. The motion of her eyes closing had her head spinning a little bit, which was weird, but at least she had Dani to distract her once sheâd opened them again. âHey,â she said softly, bringing one arm from around the other girl and using it to brush her fingers through a strand of blonde hair, which she tucked behind her ear, âIâm sorry Iâve been so distracted lately. School is just stressing me out a little bit.â That wasnât a lie; finals always sucked. It wasnât the whole reason, though. She brushed her fingers gently through Daniâs hair again, keeping her eyes on her face. âI promise that everythingâs okay, though. When I tell you I love you, I mean it. I really do love you, and Iâll happily keep telling you until youâre completely sick of me.â
Dani wanted to believe everything that Lexi was saying. Being cuddled up like this was comforting at least, but that didn't mean that she believe everything was okay. She knew what she was feeling and it most definitely wasn't okay. Even if she didn't know exactly what that was, she knew that okay wasn't it. She wanted to know why that was. Why things felt so differently all of a sudden. Things between them were good, as far as she had been aware. They were happy and in love. Things had never been perfect, of course, because no relationship was. It just never felt like this, though. It was feelings like this that made Dani want to escape. To go away and forget about her problems for a bit. She knew that thinking that way had been dangerous. There was a time where escaping her problems could have cost her life. It had been a long time since she felt this way. Like she could go out for a bit and it wouldn't be a big deal, but that was a lie. It would be a big deal. Going out didn't just mean going out for her. It could, if she was in the right state of mind, but not when she was escaping her problems. There was only one reason to go out then. "Um, yeah..." She trailed off, trying to force herself to focus on the girl next to her. She had been in her head and that wasn't good. Not with what she had been thinking lately. "It's fine. I know the end of the year is stressful. It's really no big deal." She shrugged. Now it felt like they were both lying to each other, and they had to know it, but only one of them knew why. And one wasn't Dani. "I love you, too. So much it kinda scares me." She chuckled, although it wasn't exactly a joke. It wasn't a lie. It was because she loved her so much that she was worried about what was going on. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like normal stress. It felt like something bigger. Dani wasn't sure if she could handle that.
Lexi had no room to feel upset that Dani was lying to her, which she very obviously was when she said that it was no big deal, since she could tell that was anything but the truth. But, regardless, it made her feel like crap, but there was nothing she could do about it. She could only hope that laying here with her like this and trying to reassure her that everything was okay would help some, though she figured it probably didnât. She wasnât really getting much of a reaction from her, other than what seemed like forced words, but again, Lexi was in no position to say anything, so she stayed quiet, just continuing to play with her girlfriendâs hair. âIâm sorry that it scares you,â she said in a soft voice, her lips curving into a small, genuine smile again, âIâm not sorry that you love me so much, though.â Lexi could be very handsy, especially when it came to Dani, so she needed to try to remind herself not to let her fingers trail away from where they were, but she was okay with letting them slip to her chin so she could gently take ahold of it to move her face closer. She leaned in to close the small gap between them, pressing her lips to the other girlâs. It was a bad idea, because now that her lips were against her girlfriendâs, she didnât want to pull away. She decided not to fight the urge she had to keep going, and instead cupped Daniâs cheek, parting her lips a little to deepen their kiss. She just had to hope her girlfriend didnât think of it as anything more than kissing, that was all. Lexi couldnât give her any more than that right now, and she was afraid that sheâd struggle to stop herself if Dani tried.
Dani smiled softly at her girlfriend. Even if things felt off right now, she never once doubted that her girlfriend loved her. It didn't fix whatever it was that was going on, but at least she felt some comfort in it. She had been questioning a lot lately, but that really wasn't one of them. No matter what happened, she just hoped that it stayed that way. They were obviously going through some sort of rough patch right now, but whatever it was, she figured that they could eventually move past it. It would probably take some time, considering that she still didn't even know what it was. Despite not being a religious person, she found herself asking whoever was up there to help them fix this fast. Dani didn't like that she had already been thinking about getting high. On her best days, she managed to brush it off. On her worst days, she found herself wondering what's the worst that could happen? That was dangerous thinking. And she absolutely did not blame her girlfriend for that, but this weird situation they were in wasn't helping her at all. Not that she would ever tell Lexi that. She hadn't gotten high since before she even met her girlfriend, so even if Lexi had been aware of Dani's addiction, it wasn't exactly something that she had to deal with. Dani never wanted for Lexi to see her high. She hadn't, yet, and if she could help it; she never would. Fortunately, when her girlfriend kissed her, it was easy for her to focus on other things. Like actually just laying here and kissing her. She kissed back instantly, reaching her hand out to wrap it around her girlfriend. It was odd, how this girl could confuse her and comfort her at the same time, but she would take it. As long as she got to be close to her. As strange as it seemed, that's what she felt like she needed right now.
Lexi really wished, more than anything, that she didn't feel this way. Well, no, she wished that whole thing had never happened that had made her feel this way, but that wasn't something she could control. She couldn't turn back time. She could, however, force herself to feel better, right? So why wasn't it working? It was just so unfair, because she could feel this pulling her relationship apart, and it had nothing to do with them. It was also conflicting, because Lexi felt so comforted being this close to Dani, and loved kissing her so much, but a part of it terrified her, too. The thought of it leading elsewhere scared her, and that made her feel worse than anything. Regardless, she couldn't pull away. She felt like she hadn't kissed Dani, at least not âreallyâ kissed her, in way too long, and she was feeling too relieved to stop. Her girlfriend's arm wrapping around her made her feel both scared and safe, and Lexi wondered if she could help herself. Maybe if she didn't feel trapped, if she wasn't laid underneath her, she wouldn't get those flashbacks of that stupid night in her head, where she was stuck underneath him, pinned down and not strong enough to move him away from her. Her lips continued to press to her girlfriend's as Alexa slowly moved her body, pushing herself up until she was able to put one leg over her Dani's thighs, straddling her lap, and leaning down to keep their lips connected. This was okay. She could stop things happening from up here. She just needed more of her girlfriend, that was all. This was good. This was more.
Dani didn't know how things could go from bad to good in the matter of seconds, but as her girlfriend moved on top of her, all she could think about was how good that they were. She had no idea if that was healthy or not, but then again, she wasn't sure if she actually cared. All she wanted was to feel like things were okay between the two of them. This might not fix anything and she knew that. Dani wasn't an expert on relationships, so most of the time she was either confused or the one fucking up. It had taken awhile for her to even feel like she knew what she was doing. Still, even when she messes something up, she could tell right away. Or Lexi would at least tell her what that was, so she knew that it wasn't her who did something. Not this time. A part of her wanted to push her girlfriend off and demand answers. There was something she wasn't telling her and she needed to know now. She couldn't bring herself to do that, though. In fact, the only thing she wanted to be doing was touching her girlfriend. It felt like she hadn't done that in a long time. Just a couple of days without it felt wrong. They were in love, they lived together; how were they supposed to keep their hands off each other? That's exactly what she was thinking as she moved her hands to her girlfriend's hips, moving them slowly up her body as they continued to kiss. She was touching her as if this had been the first time, because for some reason, she felt like she had to take advantage of the moment. Like even more time would go by without them touching each other. And it wasn't just a sexual thing, although Dani had missed that. It was more than that. All she wanted was to touch her. In whatever way she could. She wanted to feel close to her again, because she sure hadn't been feeling like she was lately.
Lexi knew she needed to stop this inward battle she was having with herself. Dani had done nothing wrong, so the fact that she found the feeling of something as innocent as her hands resting on her hips to be both so scary and so inviting was really screwing with her head. She wanted to keep kissing her, and she didnât plan to stop, but then her girlfriendâs hands started moving up her body, and that internal panic took over again. Heâd done that. Heâd had his hands all over her, and it didnât matter what Alexa had done to try to make him stop, it hadnât mattered. Heâd continued to touch her, like he had any right to. It didnât matter to him how much sheâd cried or begged him to stop, he hadnât. Then here was Dani; her girlfriend, who had every right to explore her body the way she was, and Lexi was on the verge of a panic attack. Sheâd kept on kissing her, but now she couldnât. The movement of her lips against the other girlâs had slowed, and Lexi could feel her heart hammering in her chest, her palms growing sticky, her whole body reacting in the exact opposite way that it should to Daniâs touch. She felt sick all over again, but she tried to tell herself silently that it was all in her mind. She almost had herself convinced, until she had to quickly pull away, sitting up on top of the other girl for just a second or two, before her hand came up to cover her mouth, and Alexa had to hurriedly climb off of her girlfriend, and the bed, then make a run for the bathroom, where she proceeded to throw up the moment sheâd reached the toilet.
Dani had practically stopped all her movements when she felt her girlfriend slowing down. The second she felt like she was the only one into this, she stopped her hands and pulled them away. How or even why things had changed within those few second, she didn't know. It was starting to feel normal between them again. Like everything was okay, at least for a few seconds. Then Lexi was pulling away from her, and before Dani could even think about questioning her, she was out of the bed and running towards the bathroom. Now that was unexpected. It didn't take much time for her to jump out of the bed herself, rushing behind her girlfriend to see if she was okay. She frowned as she watched her throw up. When Lexi had mentioned feeling dizzy earlier, Dani thought she was using that as an excuse not to shower with her. Now she felt kind of bad, because apparently she was sick. She reached her hand out and placed it on her girlfriend's back, rubbing it gently as she used the other hand to brush her hair behind her ear. Throwing up was nasty enough without getting vomit in your hair. "You're okay, baby." She whispered, trying to be somewhat helpful to her sick girlfriend. Whether she actually was or not, she had no idea. It wouldn't be the first time she took care of a sick Lexi, though, so she was confident that she was doing okay at least.
Lexi really had felt dizzy, and she really had felt sick, but she honestly thought it was all in her head, because she was lying to her girlfriend and that in itself made her uncomfortable. It made her feel queazy. She really hadnât expected to literally have to run and throw up, though, so it surprised her a little that she now found herself hanging over the toilet puking. She heard Daniâs footsteps quickly following behind her, and despite wanting to send her away to save grossing her out, she really was grateful for the comfort. She couldnât really talk to thank her, given what she was doing, but at least with Dani moving her hair out of the way for her, she had less to focus on, and had soon managed to stop. She stayed where she was, though, just in case, and kneeled down on the floor. Her whole body felt hot, and Lexi felt anything but attractive as she brought her hand up to her forehead to brush her hair back from it. âIâm so sorry,â she sighed, shaking her head. Her voice sounded croaky and strained, though that was only to be expected. Alexa slowly moved from kneeling to sitting, feeling kind of weak and dizzy all over again. She looked over at her girlfriend, giving her an embarrassed kind of smile. âThank you. Iâm pretty sure watching me throw up was not how you intended that make out session to end. I know I definitely didnât.â
Dani felt guilty for being annoyed with her girlfriend before, because she hadn't believed her when she said that she was feeling dizzy. Even if she felt like something was off, it was obvious now that Lexi hadn't been lying about that. You can fake dizziness all you want, but you can't fake throwing up, especially when Dani was right there and saw the whole thing. She continued to rub her back, knowing that there wasn't much else she could do for her now. Dani didn't know if she ate something that didn't agree with her, or if maybe she had some sort of flu, but she did know that if she was throwing up like this; she had to get it all out of her system. It was an awful feeling and she knew it. There had been plenty of times where someone held Dani's hair back while she threw up. Those were usually results or drinking, though. That didn't change the fact that it felt awful. And gross, but she wasn't about to say that. By the look on her girlfriend's face, she was embarrassed enough as it was. "Hey, don't be sorry." She said softly, moving as her girlfriend did, sitting next to her to wrap an arm around her. "No, it's not, but that's okay. It's not your fault that you're sick. We can end our next make out session the right way." She teased, giving her girlfriend a smirk that she hoped would make her laugh. Dani had never been good at comforting someone, but she meant it when she said that it was okay. Lexi didn't have a reason to be embarrassed. Dani cared more about her health than anything else. "Are you feeling better now? I can get you something if you need me to. Just name it."
Lexi was hating this more and more every minute. She hated keeping things from her girlfriend. She hated being scared to be touched by her girlfriend. She hated throwing up in front of her girlfriend. Not one part of it had been fun, but at least Dani hadn't run away in horror. It wasn't like it was a rarity for one of them to be holding the other's hair back as they threw up, but that was usually after they'd been drinking a little too much. Unfortunately, Lexi couldn't blame this on drinking. It was weird, though. It didn't feel like a bug. It was almost like when she'd get a migraine after not wearing her glasses for a while, only a little more sudden. Either way, if anyone was going to be able to make her feel better in this situation, it was Dani. As usual, the other girl didn't disappoint, and despite how weak throwing up had made her feel, Lexi couldn't help but smile at the smirk on her face. "You're kind of perfect, did you know that?" She laughed softly, leaning into her arm. She closed her eyes, taking comfort in just being there with Dani. "I do feel a little better, yeah. I think it might just be a migraine coming on or something," she frowned, pulling back to brave standing up.. very slowly. She wasn't trying to make herself dizzy again. "Just you," she said in response to her girlfriend's offer, "and maybe a bottle of water? I'm gonna get cleaned up, then I'll meet you back in bed so I can lay there pathetically while you cuddle me. Then maybe I'll feel better in the morning." She reached for her girlfriend's hand, wanting to pull her in and kiss her, but she figured she should wait until she'd brushed her teeth for that. "Thank you," she said softly, settling for just gently squeezing her hand for now, "I meant what I said, you really are perfect, Dani." And one day, she'd be able to show her again, too.
VERA: I went to see Johari the other night, and then...something happened. And now we're going out on a date, and then I slept over, and it's weird, and I feel so nervous I want to puke, and I'm afraid to even text him, because I feel like he's going to tell me he changed his mind, and I definitely left my bra at his house, and I don't know how to ask for it back.
LEXI: For now.
LEXI: Wait, you slept with him? BEFORE going on a date? Vera!
NOTESÂ â Alexa crawls into bed with Dani after an escort date gone very wrong.
DANIELLE HARPER
Dani was no stranger to being home alone. Well, not completely alone, since she had the dogs, but she was used to being without her girlfriend. It wasnât like she didnât understand that she had work. That was something Alexa did even before they were together and it had never been a problem. Dani didnât need to have her at home. In fact, despite feeling clingy at time, she managed just fine on her own. This would usually be the time where she would work on her music, since she often got distracted when she was with Lexi. In the best way possible, of course. Tonight should have been like any other. She would play her guitar, maybe even take out her keyboard, and try to write some music to go with her lyrics. It was actually the most inspired she had felt in awhile, so she had planned on taking full advantage of it. Then she started texting her girlfriend. Okay, so she got distracted when it came to Lexi. Could anyone blame her? She had an amazing girlfriend, so it was no surprise that she took a break to lay on her bed and talk to her. Again, it should have been like any other night. They would say they missed each other, joke about Lexi quitting her job, then maybe something dirty; since both of their minds usually went to that play. Unfortunately, that hadnât been the case this time. Now Dani was paying for it.
She didnât know how them texting had turned into an argument. Well, okay, maybe she shouldnât have said something stupid; like asking Lexi if stripping could be taken as serious dancing. She wasnât trying to upset her when she asked, but she should have considered that before she said it. That was something Dani struggled with all the time. More often than not, she just said whatever she was thinking. And if she was being completely honest, she didnât take Lexiâs job seriously. She didnât take it seriously when Cassie did it, either. It was just something they did and she had to accept that. When her sister quit, it had been a huge relief. One less thing for her to worry about. It still bothered her that Lexi was doing it, especially after what happened to Cassie, but she was never going to tell her not to. It didnât matter if she didnât like it, or if she didnât take it seriously, because it was up to Lexi if she kept her job or not. Dani couldnât control that and she wasnât trying to.
When Lexi stopped texting her, Dani couldnât stop thinking about their fight. Mostly because it shouldnât have happened. Just like most of their fights, she felt like the blame was all on her. What else was new, right? She probably wouldnât change her opinion and she wasnât going to try, but the least she could do was consider what dancing meant to Lexi. It meant as much to her as singing did to Dani. If anyone had tried to talk shit about what she loved, she would probably punch them in the mouth. Knowing that made her feel like crap. Lexi had always been supportive of Dani, even when she didnât feel so confident. Thatâs when Lexi supported her the most. No matter what choice she made, Lexi supported it without question. This is why being alone with her thoughts was both good and bad. Why did it always take her so long to realize when she fucked up? One thing was for sure, she probably wasnât getting any sleep tonight. Not when she was feeling as shitty as she had been. She thought about texting Lexi to apologize, but she decided that maybe waiting for her to come back would be better. She could tell her when she got home.
It felt like forever before she heard her girlfriend arrive, but when she finally had, Dani sighed when she heard her come through the door. She was exhausted, but she wasnât gonna be able to sleep until she talked to Lexi. Even if all she did was apologize then crash out, because she wanted her girlfriend to know that she was sorry for being an ass. That wasnât going to happen right away, since she could hear her getting in the shower. The only sound that could be heard in the house was the water turning on. Dani groaned into her pillow, figuring that her girlfriend might take awhile. She laid on her side and grabbed her phone to keep herself distracted as she waited. She was actually kind of annoyed, but that wasnât Lexiâs fault. It was because she was impatient and wanted to talk to her. Finally, she heard her girlfriend coming to her room. She sighed in relief, since she wasnât even sure if Lexi wanted to see her. She placed her phone back on her nightstand as she felt her getting into her bed.
Before she could even say she was sorry, Lexi was already saying it. She sounded really upset and that made Dani feel even worse. Their fight hadnât been that seriousâŠ. Had it? If that was the case then she wasnât sure why Lexi had been apologizing. After reading the texts over and over, it was actually Dani who started the fight. Even if she had blamed her girlfriend for doing so before. She turned over slowly and mover closer, cupping her cheek and smiling softly. âHey, itâs okay. Why are you so upset? Iâm the one who did something stupid. You canât be that surprised, right?â She laughed tiredly, hoping to get at least a smile from the other girl. âI love you, too. Iâm so sorry for being an idiot.â
ALEXA LOPEZ
With no idea of how to act or feel, Alexa was completely on edge. This wasnât something sheâd ever been prepared for. People forcing other people into sex wasnât unheard of. In fact, it was a huge, global problem, one that wasnât taken as seriously as it shouldâve been, and it was evident now that Lexi hadnât taken it seriously enough before now, either. If she did, maybe it wouldnât have put her in the state of shock she was currently in. It was just something sheâd never expected to have experienced, and she didnât know where to go from here. She felt like a different person, in the absolute worst way. Lexi had lived alone before Dani had moved in with her, and sheâd never hated it. She actually used to enjoy it. Now, though, even being in the shower alone was scaring her. Her girlfriend was only across the hall, but Alexa didnât feel safe. She hated that. She hated how pathetic she felt. She hated how not herself she felt.
Even after sheâd climbed into the other girlâs bed, she didnât really feel any better. She felt like someone was watching her. She felt like the same someone who had taken everything from her tonight was watching her. It wasnât like she feared for her life or anything; he had no idea where she lived. Even if he had, she was sure suddenly torturing her wasnât his angle. Heâd wanted to get off, and heâd gotten what he wanted. Alexa didnât think sheâd be seeing him again, but that wasnât the point. She could still feel his hands on her, she could taste that disgusting stale cigarette taste on her lips still, despite having showered and thoroughly brushed her teeth. She knew she was just imagining it, but in some ways that was almost worse. Lexi was terrified that sheâd never be able to forget.
It wasnât like Dani had crept into her room in the middle of the night; itâd been the other way around, but even as the other girl moved to turn over, Lexi jumped a little. This was so stupid. Even more so when Daniâs hand rested on her cheek and Alexa felt like she was ready to throw up. This was her girlfriend, it was her familiar, comforting touch, but all Lexi could imagine was the way heâd grabbed her face earlier, his rough hands against her cheeks. Nothing like Daniâs. Alexa just couldnât get the thought out of her head, though. She closed her eyes, as if that would somehow make it go away, but it only made it worse. It made her see everything in her mind more clearly, and that was the exact opposite of what she wanted.
Opening her eyes, Lexi looked at her girlfriend through her wet lashes, wanting to answer her question. She wanted to answer her with honesty, but she couldnât. For starters, Dani didnât know about her second job. No one did, in fact. She was in too deep of a lie with it by now that telling her about it wouldâve fucked everything up between them, she was sure of it. More than that, though, she couldnât even bring herself to admit aloud whatâd happened. That would make it even more real. She forced a smile to her lips that mirrored her girlfriendâs, but tears continued to roll down her cheeks. âI just donât like fighting with you,â she lied in a soft, sad voice. As much as it scared her to press up closely to another person right now, this was Dani. Lexi loved her. She needed her. So, she moved closer, into her girlfriendâs arms. Turning her head away from Daniâs hand, she nuzzled her face into the side of her neck, instead. âI love you,â she whispered again, her eyes closing to keep herself from crying, âI love you.â
NOTESÂ â Alexa crawls into bed with Dani after an escort date gone very wrong.
ALEXA LOPEZ
Alexa really would consider herself a strong person, but even the strongest of people werenât built to withstand the kind of thing sheâd gone through tonight. A part of her still wondered if it had been a dream, even after sheâd crept into the house in the same close sheâd been wearing for her escort date. Usually, she was more careful, and made sure to change before sheâd gotten home, but not tonight. She was still shaking; she could still feel his hands on her. All she wanted to do was hide out inside of her home, lock the door and curl up into her girlfriendâs arms. What had happened between the time sheâd stopped texting Dani and now just made their entire fight seem so insignificant. Lexi hadnât felt like sheâd been in the wrong, but she truly didnât care anymore. Sheâd get on her knees and beg for forgiveness if that was what it took; she just needed Dani. She needed that protection.
Just the thought of her girlfriend made Alexaâs eyes fill up with salty tears all over again. She hadnât cried, not really. Sheâd been on the verge of it, but she was still too numb to really let herself feel anything. Fortunately for her, it was too late for any of the dogs to care about flipping out like they usually did when she opened the door, and for Dani to be up. Whether she was awake or not was a whole different story, but regardless, Alexa was able to make her way quietly to her room, and then to lock herself in her bathroom without Dani seeing her attire. It was a cocktail dress; something she wouldnât have been able to explain if sheâd been caught. It was after sheâd taken it off and climbed into the shower that sheâd really let herself break down. No one was supposed to touch her. No one but Dani. Even though whatâd happened had been completely against her will, Alexa felt like sheâd done something she shouldnât have. She felt like sheâd betrayed her girlfriend, and she felt dirty. No amount of standing under the hot water could make her feel any cleaner.
She was a stripper, Â so sheâd never been ashamed of her body, but as Alexa climbed out of the shower and caught sight of herself in the mirror, she felt sick. She felt violated, and like her body wasnât hers anymore. She couldnât continue to look at herself, so quickly tore her gaze away, and headed back out into her room, tossing everything sheâd been wearing into the trashcan. She didnât want to keep anything heâd touched. In fact, she planned to burn it, but not tonight. Tonight, all she could really manage was to pull on a pair of pajamas and to towel dry some of the water droplets from her hair, then she was done. That was her limit for tonight. That numb feeling came back to her as she quietly left her room, closing the door behind her, then headed for Daniâs instead. Softly, she pushed open the door, tiptoeing inside and ignoring the way her eyes filled up again when she saw her girlfriend. Biting her lip, she walked over to the bed, climbing under the covers and moving closer to her girlfriend.
âIâm sorry,â she whispered, her voice shaky. At least her wet hair would mask the fact that a tear had finally rolled down her cheek as she pressed her lips to the other girlâs shoulder. Their fight also made it easier for her to apologize, because at least that looked like what she was apologizing for. âI love you. Iâm sorry.â
DANI: And taking your clothes off is what? Just part of the job?
DANI: I know that I could have had a record deal if I wanted, but only if I sang someone else's songs and that wasn't good enough. I wasn't willing to settle for just anything. I guess we're just different that way.
LEXI: Yeah, actually, taking off my clothes is just part of the job. You think I enjoy it?
LEXI: So I'm selling myself short. Got it.
LEXI: Have a good night, Dani. My bad for even bothering to text you.
DANI: I'm not gonna ask you to quit your fucking job. I don't like you dancing and taking your clothes off for other people. I can't imagine anyone being cool with their girlfriend doing that, but what I said was just a dumb question. I'm sure stripping is totally serious.
LEXI: Awesome. No sarcasm at all there, huh?
LEXI: I don't work at the club to strip. I work there to dance.
LEXI: You don't get it. Dancing isn't like singing. You can write a song and you can show it to the world. I can't come up with some new dance routine and have anybody care about it. It doesn't work like that. This is all I can do for now.
DANI: You know I don't like it, which is all you need to know, so I think talking about it is stupid.
LEXI: Alright, well if you don't like it to the point of wanting me to quit, then tell me. If you just think it's stupid and "not serious" then I guess keep that to yourself.
LEXI: Not that it matters, since I know now that you're thinking it already.