"That's perhaps the single most delicious cup of irony I've ever tasted," Sharla said.
She, Nat and Misty were sitting in Nat's kitchen. Jay was busy running production errands, Violet was at school, and Corrine...who knew where Corrine was. Likely hiding out of embarrassment, despite being told repeatedly she had no reason to be embarrassed. Nat nodded as she poured herself some more coffee and sat back down at the table.
"Yeah, it was...pretty incredible, how circular the whole thing became," she said, raising her cup and taking a short sip, "I mean, think about it, he cheats on me with my own sister, I become so distraught my show goes off the rails so I leave the channel to pursue my own run program, thus hiring a queer editor who then gets my sister to cheat on the man who left me for her. Wild. And the worst part is Corrine blames herself. She really shouldn't. If anything, she's a hero to me right now. I mean, there's so much I could do to get back at Stephen for what he did, but even then I didn't wanna follow through with any of it. But she did the one thing more painful than anything else I could've ever conjured up, and I wanna thank her repeatedly for it."
"You don't find any of this...upsetting?" Misty asked, and the girls looked at her; she sighed, set her cup down and continued, saying, "I mean, sure, the irony of it all is very humorous, one cannot deny that, but this is a man you loved once, and now he's been hurt in the same way he hurt you. Don't you feel even the slightest bit of sympathy towards him in that regard?"
"I do," Nat said, "and it wasn't like his infidelity came out of the blue. Things hadn't been good between us for a while. I don't blame him for leaving. I'm not saying I wasn't upset or mad, but I understood. What irked me most of all, however, was leaving me for my sister. That's what makes this so perfect to me."
Misty nodded, jotted something down in her notepad and continued drinking. Sharla popped a few vitamins and shook her head.
"So what happens now?" she asked, "I mean, let's face it, things aren't gonna stay the way they were."
"No, they won't," Nat said, "but the nice thing about being divorced is, guess what, his problems aren't mine to solve anymore."
Just then a knock at the front door came through loud and clear, and they heard Stephen calling out for Nat. Nat sighed and rubbed her face with her palms.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered.
***
Noreen and Violet were sitting in the garden in the back of Noreen's parents house, on the porch in the shade. Violet needed to talk to someone, but she couldn't go back to Corrine, they weren't exactly family, and she couldn't go to her mother, not yet anyway. She couldn't go to her aunt, because something was clearly happening and her aunt wasn't available. So Violet turned to the one woman in her family she related to above all else, her aunt Noreen. Sitting there at the small, wooden table, sharing a package of cookies, Violet still couldn't help but feel weird for even attempting to broach this subject with someone related to her. It felt so personal, how could she ever hope to discuss it?
"You're awful quiet," Noreen finally said, and Violet looked up from her lap, chewing.
"I'm sorry," Violet said softly, "I'm, um...well, I...I'm uh I'm having a problem. It's all I can think about."
"I figured as much, and that's why I'm glad you came to see me," Noreen replied, smiling warmly, "if anyone will understand you, it's gonna be me. You certainly do seem distracted. You know you can talk to me about anything without judgement."
Violet nodded, and thought back to that night in Courtney's room. Courtney had said it was obvious, that it was okay, but nothing had happened after that or since. What exactly had it meant, really? She didn't know, and thusly, she didn't know how to broach the topic to discuss it with someone. Hell, simply asking Corrine about things had been awkward enough, and that had been vague as hell.
"I don't understand what's happening," Violet finally said, "everything, um, feels so weird. Not just at home. That's weird too, but, ya know, with me. With this friend of mine. I've never understood how people, ya know, uh, feel things or other people. I know I love my mom, but that's cause, like, she's my mom. That isn't weird to me. But to, um, to, ya know, love someone else...that's weird to me."
"...are you in love with someone?" Noreen asked, grinning, making Violet blush.
"...yeah," Violet said softly, "I guess I am."
***
"What are you even doing here?" Nat asked, as she and Stephen entered the living room. Stephen looked...bad. He looked like...well...how Nat had looked for a few months after he'd left her. He hadn't shaven, his clothes were rumpled as if he'd been sleeping in them, he looked disheveled to hell and back. Nat stopped by a bookshelf and turned to face him, as Stephen plopped himself down on the couch.
"I don't know," Stephen said in such a weak voice, "I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know how to handle this. How did you handle it?"
"Are you seriously asking me to tell you how I dealt with you leaving me for my sister?" Nat replied, her eyes wide, almost grinning, "seriously? Look, I don't wanna take glee in what's happening, but...it's karmic retribution if I've ever seen it and, ya know, from an ex-wife perspective, regardless of the beliefs I claim to hold true, it tickles me."
"That's fair," Stephen said, flopping onto his back and putting a hand on his forehead, sighing before adding, "I just...I can't believe this. Am I the problem? Was I the problem the whole time? Were my issues with you, the things between us, not that bad and I just blew them out of proportion? Cause I thought Ashley and I were great. Mostly, with you and I, it was work work work. And I don't mean the relationship was a lot of work, I mean work was the problem because it was all you did. It took over your life."
"You knew when you married me what I wanted to do," Nat said, folding her arms, then sighing and adding, "course, I suppose I could've made some kind of sacrifices, made more time for my family, sure. It isn't good to be working all the time."
"No but that's the thing, you...you shouldn't have to sacrifice what you love to do for others," Stephen said, surprising her as he continued, "you have a calling, a way to help people, and someone wanting to spend time with you shouldn't be enough to endanger that. I've come to realize I was being somewhat selfish in that regard. Some people can handle that in a relationship, and I'm just not one of those kinds of people. Ashley just...fit what I needed better. But then THAT makes me sound bad cause it sounds like I was just looking for a cookie cutter woman who could slot perfectly into my life without respecting her as a person."
Stephen looked over at Nat, his eyes wet.
"Am I just a bad man?" he asked, his voice shaky, "I always...I always thought I was pretty good. I respect women, I...I support their rights. Yet here I am, same as any worse man, just looking for the right kind of girl to fit MY lifestyle without taking into account the person she is. I don't wanna be like that."
This was something Nat had never expected Stephen to say, because she herself had never thought about it. She walked over and sat down on the footrest by the couch, putting a hand on his leg.
"I'm done doing emotional labor for the men I'm in relationships with, but the good thing is, we're not in a relationship anymore, you're just my friend now, so I don't mind helping you," Nat said, "no, you're not a bad man, Stephen. But I think acknowledging these faults is a good place for you to start working on them. And frankly, I think most people are like that. They want someone who fits with them. They often don't think about who that person is, as a person, so long as they fit their preconcieved lifestyle. But yeah, if you're gonna love someone, you have to love the parts of them that aren't parts you like, and accept that's who they are, unless of course those parts are actively hurting others, like out of control drinking, that's a whole different story then."
Stephen smirked and wiped his face with his palms before exhaling deeply.
"How is Ashley handling this, by the way?" Nat asked.
"The hell should I know," Stephen said, "I've been way too wrapped up in how I'm doing to care about others."
"Okay now that makes you a bad man," Nat replied, the both of them laughing. Even with all their history, she couldn't be mad at him. She just had an innate need to help those around her, even the ones who had hurt her unintentionally.
***
Corrine's wrists were pinned to the wall as Ashley kissed her, then down her jaw and to her neck, making her breath heavier and heavier. After a minute, Ashley pulled away and sat down on the end of the bed, crying again. Corrine sat down beside her and put a hand on her knee. It had been like this ever since they'd been discovered. Ashley would be fine one minute, and then absolutely wrecked the next, and Corrine understood, having gone through a breakup with someone she'd loved deeply.
"A few weeks ago," Ashley said, trying to speak through her labored breathing, "Stephen and I went to dinner. We always had these date nights twice a week, and this was the second of those for that week. We thought it kept it fresh, like we were still in the early stages of dating so we didn't get bored and complacent."
"What's so bad about complacency? Honestly, it just means you're comfortable," Corrine said, and Ashley smirked.
"Not gonna argue cause I agree," she replied, "but my point was that, at that dinner, afterwards we went for a walk near a river downtown. They have all these little shops and restaurants near it, and it's a very pretty place to be. While we were there, he started talking about the future, talking about, ya know, marriage and stuff like that. I entertained the idea simply to keep him distracted, but then he said he thought I was 'the one'. That...that threw me. That's when I knew I had to tell him sooner rather than later."
Corrine furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side like a confused cocker spaniel.
"Wha...why...why would that throw you?" she asked, "do you not believe in the concept of 'the one'?" she asked.
"No, I do," Ashley said, looking at her and putting her hand on top of Corrine's on her knee, adding, "but it was because while I might've been his, you're mine."
Corrine felt like she'd been punched in the chest. Somehow, even after everything else, anytime Ashley said something remotely romantic towards her, it still caught her off guard. Corrine looked at her feet and nodded, thinking. After a minute or two, Corrine, still not looking at Ashley, spoke again.
"I never thought I'd be someone's 'the one', but I guess there's a first, and hopefully only, time for everything," Corrine said, "I've always been kinda afraid of someone loving me so deeply that they made me their entire world, not because it was weird but because I was scared I wouldn't live up to their ideals. Expectations frighten me. But...there doesn't seem to be any expectations with you, and that makes me feel safe."
"I want you to feel safe," Ashley said, running her hand up to Corrine's face and gently carressing her cheek with her thumb, "that's all I ever want. And, yeah, it might take a bit before I'm over the shock of everything that just happened and I apologize in advance for that and how it might make me act, but it isn't gonna change things between us. That much I can promise you. You're exactly who I've been looking."
"It doesn't bother you that I'm so much younger?" Corrine asked, "I mean, I'm still in college. Your sister has a teenage daughter."
"It really doesn't," Ashley said, "you're an adult, I'm an adult. I don't care so long as we make one another happy."
"I've never been happy until recently, I don't know how to handle it," Corrine said, making Ashley laugh.
"Well then," Ashley said, leaning in and kissing her on the neck, "allow me to be your guide to happiness."
***
When Violet got home that evening, she discovered that the house was empty except for her mother. Nat was in her bedroom, lying on the bed just reading a book when Violet came in. As soon as she entered, Nat put a marker in her book and set it down on the bedside table, as Violet climbed onto the bed and nuzzled up to her mother, who wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and squeezed, kissing her on the forehead.
"How you doin', kiddo?" she asked.
"I have to tell you something," Violet said, "cause you're my mom, and my best friend, and I don't wanna hide things from you. You're always tell people to do what they think is best for them, and to believe in who they are, so I think you'll understand and accept me."
"I'll always accept you, sweetheart, what's going on?" Nat asked, and Violet exhaled deeply, then shut her eyes.
"I think I'm in love with Courtney," Violet said, "and it's scary cause I've never felt this way about anybody, and I didn't think I could, but she's my friend and she makes me feel safe and happy and understood. I just want to be with her. I was scared you might be mad at me, but that was dumb cause you're never mad at me, even when I do bad things like running to dads."
"First of all," Nat said, running her fingers through her daughters hair, "running to your dads wasn't a bad thing. You did what you had to at the time to protect yourself. I respect and understand that. Was I hurt? Tremendously. But I brought it upon myself. It's why, even with the fame we have now as a result of the livestream, I'm far more focused on my interpersonal relationships, and specifically, my relationship with you, because those are way more important. And secondly...I'm happy for you. I always liked Courtney, and I think the two of you are good for eachother. I don't care who you love, so long as they respect you."
Violet cuddled more into her mothers side and cried a little. She knew she would be accepted, that was obvious, but it still scared her to say it. Nat just shushed her softly and continued petting her. No matter how old she got, Violet would always be her little girl, and she could count on her mom for anything, especially emotional regulation.
"You know," Nat said, laughing, "if you ever need to talk to another family member who knows how you feel, I know just who you can speak to."
***
Corrine and Ashley, in post coitous afterglow, were laying under the sheets of the bed, staring up at the ceiling, holding hands. Corrine was absentmindedly chewing on her lip, while Ashley rested her eyes. Corrine rolled her head to the side to look at Ashley and then back up towards the ceiling.
"The girl I dated before you," Corrine said, "she used to send me these little glass animals. She would find them in Hawaii after moving there, and she would mail them back to me because they were affordable, both in purchase and in packaging. My favorite was the turtle, cause I guess, in a way, I always felt kinda like a turle. Sheltered. Hidden away."
"I could see that about you, yeah," Ashley said, nodding.
"But I don't think it was just the animal that I related to," Corrine continued, "but the glass. The fragility. I've always been fragile. So much more so than everyone else around me. Always about to go to pieces and shatter. So I guess, what I'm saying, is maybe don't break me. If I'm going to entrust you with my fragility, don't break me."
Ashley felt her heart hurt a bit, but she understood Corrine had clearly been through some shit, emotionally, and she didn't want to be one of the people who added to that, so she was going to her damndest not to. Instead, she simply squeezed her hand a little bit tighter.
"What kind of glass animal would I be?" Ashley asked.
"Oh, you're a tiger, for sure," Corrine said, making Ashley laugh.
"And what makes you say that?" she asked.
"Cause, like a tiger, you can't change your stripes, you're exactly who you always were meant to be. Also you're kind a predator," Corrine said, making Ashley cackle as she rolled over and got on top of Corrine, kissing her, making Corrine laugh too. If Corrine didn't believe in the concept of 'the one', she sure did now.
She, Nat and Misty were sitting in Nat's kitchen. Jay was busy running production errands, Violet was at school, and Corrine...who knew where Corrine was. Likely hiding out of embarrassment, despite being told repeatedly she had no reason to be embarrassed. Nat nodded as she poured herself some more coffee and sat back down at the table.
"Yeah, it was...pretty incredible, how circular the whole thing became," she said, raising her cup and taking a short sip, "I mean, think about it, he cheats on me with my own sister, I become so distraught my show goes off the rails so I leave the channel to pursue my own run program, thus hiring a queer editor who then gets my sister to cheat on the man who left me for her. Wild. And the worst part is Corrine blames herself. She really shouldn't. If anything, she's a hero to me right now. I mean, there's so much I could do to get back at Stephen for what he did, but even then I didn't wanna follow through with any of it. But she did the one thing more painful than anything else I could've ever conjured up, and I wanna thank her repeatedly for it."
"You don't find any of this...upsetting?" Misty asked, and the girls looked at her; she sighed, set her cup down and continued, saying, "I mean, sure, the irony of it all is very humorous, one cannot deny that, but this is a man you loved once, and now he's been hurt in the same way he hurt you. Don't you feel even the slightest bit of sympathy towards him in that regard?"
"I do," Nat said, "and it wasn't like his infidelity came out of the blue. Things hadn't been good between us for a while. I don't blame him for leaving. I'm not saying I wasn't upset or mad, but I understood. What irked me most of all, however, was leaving me for my sister. That's what makes this so perfect to me."
Misty nodded, jotted something down in her notepad and continued drinking. Sharla popped a few vitamins and shook her head.
"So what happens now?" she asked, "I mean, let's face it, things aren't gonna stay the way they were."
"No, they won't," Nat said, "but the nice thing about being divorced is, guess what, his problems aren't mine to solve anymore."
Just then a knock at the front door came through loud and clear, and they heard Stephen calling out for Nat. Nat sighed and rubbed her face with her palms.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered.
***
Noreen and Violet were sitting in the garden in the back of Noreen's parents house, on the porch in the shade. Violet needed to talk to someone, but she couldn't go back to Corrine, they weren't exactly family, and she couldn't go to her mother, not yet anyway. She couldn't go to her aunt, because something was clearly happening and her aunt wasn't available. So Violet turned to the one woman in her family she related to above all else, her aunt Noreen. Sitting there at the small, wooden table, sharing a package of cookies, Violet still couldn't help but feel weird for even attempting to broach this subject with someone related to her. It felt so personal, how could she ever hope to discuss it?
"You're awful quiet," Noreen finally said, and Violet looked up from her lap, chewing.
"I'm sorry," Violet said softly, "I'm, um...well, I...I'm uh I'm having a problem. It's all I can think about."
"I figured as much, and that's why I'm glad you came to see me," Noreen replied, smiling warmly, "if anyone will understand you, it's gonna be me. You certainly do seem distracted. You know you can talk to me about anything without judgement."
Violet nodded, and thought back to that night in Courtney's room. Courtney had said it was obvious, that it was okay, but nothing had happened after that or since. What exactly had it meant, really? She didn't know, and thusly, she didn't know how to broach the topic to discuss it with someone. Hell, simply asking Corrine about things had been awkward enough, and that had been vague as hell.
"I don't understand what's happening," Violet finally said, "everything, um, feels so weird. Not just at home. That's weird too, but, ya know, with me. With this friend of mine. I've never understood how people, ya know, uh, feel things or other people. I know I love my mom, but that's cause, like, she's my mom. That isn't weird to me. But to, um, to, ya know, love someone else...that's weird to me."
"...are you in love with someone?" Noreen asked, grinning, making Violet blush.
"...yeah," Violet said softly, "I guess I am."
***
"What are you even doing here?" Nat asked, as she and Stephen entered the living room. Stephen looked...bad. He looked like...well...how Nat had looked for a few months after he'd left her. He hadn't shaven, his clothes were rumpled as if he'd been sleeping in them, he looked disheveled to hell and back. Nat stopped by a bookshelf and turned to face him, as Stephen plopped himself down on the couch.
"I don't know," Stephen said in such a weak voice, "I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't know how to handle this. How did you handle it?"
"Are you seriously asking me to tell you how I dealt with you leaving me for my sister?" Nat replied, her eyes wide, almost grinning, "seriously? Look, I don't wanna take glee in what's happening, but...it's karmic retribution if I've ever seen it and, ya know, from an ex-wife perspective, regardless of the beliefs I claim to hold true, it tickles me."
"That's fair," Stephen said, flopping onto his back and putting a hand on his forehead, sighing before adding, "I just...I can't believe this. Am I the problem? Was I the problem the whole time? Were my issues with you, the things between us, not that bad and I just blew them out of proportion? Cause I thought Ashley and I were great. Mostly, with you and I, it was work work work. And I don't mean the relationship was a lot of work, I mean work was the problem because it was all you did. It took over your life."
"You knew when you married me what I wanted to do," Nat said, folding her arms, then sighing and adding, "course, I suppose I could've made some kind of sacrifices, made more time for my family, sure. It isn't good to be working all the time."
"No but that's the thing, you...you shouldn't have to sacrifice what you love to do for others," Stephen said, surprising her as he continued, "you have a calling, a way to help people, and someone wanting to spend time with you shouldn't be enough to endanger that. I've come to realize I was being somewhat selfish in that regard. Some people can handle that in a relationship, and I'm just not one of those kinds of people. Ashley just...fit what I needed better. But then THAT makes me sound bad cause it sounds like I was just looking for a cookie cutter woman who could slot perfectly into my life without respecting her as a person."
Stephen looked over at Nat, his eyes wet.
"Am I just a bad man?" he asked, his voice shaky, "I always...I always thought I was pretty good. I respect women, I...I support their rights. Yet here I am, same as any worse man, just looking for the right kind of girl to fit MY lifestyle without taking into account the person she is. I don't wanna be like that."
This was something Nat had never expected Stephen to say, because she herself had never thought about it. She walked over and sat down on the footrest by the couch, putting a hand on his leg.
"I'm done doing emotional labor for the men I'm in relationships with, but the good thing is, we're not in a relationship anymore, you're just my friend now, so I don't mind helping you," Nat said, "no, you're not a bad man, Stephen. But I think acknowledging these faults is a good place for you to start working on them. And frankly, I think most people are like that. They want someone who fits with them. They often don't think about who that person is, as a person, so long as they fit their preconcieved lifestyle. But yeah, if you're gonna love someone, you have to love the parts of them that aren't parts you like, and accept that's who they are, unless of course those parts are actively hurting others, like out of control drinking, that's a whole different story then."
Stephen smirked and wiped his face with his palms before exhaling deeply.
"How is Ashley handling this, by the way?" Nat asked.
"The hell should I know," Stephen said, "I've been way too wrapped up in how I'm doing to care about others."
"Okay now that makes you a bad man," Nat replied, the both of them laughing. Even with all their history, she couldn't be mad at him. She just had an innate need to help those around her, even the ones who had hurt her unintentionally.
***
Corrine's wrists were pinned to the wall as Ashley kissed her, then down her jaw and to her neck, making her breath heavier and heavier. After a minute, Ashley pulled away and sat down on the end of the bed, crying again. Corrine sat down beside her and put a hand on her knee. It had been like this ever since they'd been discovered. Ashley would be fine one minute, and then absolutely wrecked the next, and Corrine understood, having gone through a breakup with someone she'd loved deeply.
"A few weeks ago," Ashley said, trying to speak through her labored breathing, "Stephen and I went to dinner. We always had these date nights twice a week, and this was the second of those for that week. We thought it kept it fresh, like we were still in the early stages of dating so we didn't get bored and complacent."
"What's so bad about complacency? Honestly, it just means you're comfortable," Corrine said, and Ashley smirked.
"Not gonna argue cause I agree," she replied, "but my point was that, at that dinner, afterwards we went for a walk near a river downtown. They have all these little shops and restaurants near it, and it's a very pretty place to be. While we were there, he started talking about the future, talking about, ya know, marriage and stuff like that. I entertained the idea simply to keep him distracted, but then he said he thought I was 'the one'. That...that threw me. That's when I knew I had to tell him sooner rather than later."
Corrine furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side like a confused cocker spaniel.
"Wha...why...why would that throw you?" she asked, "do you not believe in the concept of 'the one'?" she asked.
"No, I do," Ashley said, looking at her and putting her hand on top of Corrine's on her knee, adding, "but it was because while I might've been his, you're mine."
Corrine felt like she'd been punched in the chest. Somehow, even after everything else, anytime Ashley said something remotely romantic towards her, it still caught her off guard. Corrine looked at her feet and nodded, thinking. After a minute or two, Corrine, still not looking at Ashley, spoke again.
"I never thought I'd be someone's 'the one', but I guess there's a first, and hopefully only, time for everything," Corrine said, "I've always been kinda afraid of someone loving me so deeply that they made me their entire world, not because it was weird but because I was scared I wouldn't live up to their ideals. Expectations frighten me. But...there doesn't seem to be any expectations with you, and that makes me feel safe."
"I want you to feel safe," Ashley said, running her hand up to Corrine's face and gently carressing her cheek with her thumb, "that's all I ever want. And, yeah, it might take a bit before I'm over the shock of everything that just happened and I apologize in advance for that and how it might make me act, but it isn't gonna change things between us. That much I can promise you. You're exactly who I've been looking."
"It doesn't bother you that I'm so much younger?" Corrine asked, "I mean, I'm still in college. Your sister has a teenage daughter."
"It really doesn't," Ashley said, "you're an adult, I'm an adult. I don't care so long as we make one another happy."
"I've never been happy until recently, I don't know how to handle it," Corrine said, making Ashley laugh.
"Well then," Ashley said, leaning in and kissing her on the neck, "allow me to be your guide to happiness."
***
When Violet got home that evening, she discovered that the house was empty except for her mother. Nat was in her bedroom, lying on the bed just reading a book when Violet came in. As soon as she entered, Nat put a marker in her book and set it down on the bedside table, as Violet climbed onto the bed and nuzzled up to her mother, who wrapped her arms tightly around her daughter and squeezed, kissing her on the forehead.
"How you doin', kiddo?" she asked.
"I have to tell you something," Violet said, "cause you're my mom, and my best friend, and I don't wanna hide things from you. You're always tell people to do what they think is best for them, and to believe in who they are, so I think you'll understand and accept me."
"I'll always accept you, sweetheart, what's going on?" Nat asked, and Violet exhaled deeply, then shut her eyes.
"I think I'm in love with Courtney," Violet said, "and it's scary cause I've never felt this way about anybody, and I didn't think I could, but she's my friend and she makes me feel safe and happy and understood. I just want to be with her. I was scared you might be mad at me, but that was dumb cause you're never mad at me, even when I do bad things like running to dads."
"First of all," Nat said, running her fingers through her daughters hair, "running to your dads wasn't a bad thing. You did what you had to at the time to protect yourself. I respect and understand that. Was I hurt? Tremendously. But I brought it upon myself. It's why, even with the fame we have now as a result of the livestream, I'm far more focused on my interpersonal relationships, and specifically, my relationship with you, because those are way more important. And secondly...I'm happy for you. I always liked Courtney, and I think the two of you are good for eachother. I don't care who you love, so long as they respect you."
Violet cuddled more into her mothers side and cried a little. She knew she would be accepted, that was obvious, but it still scared her to say it. Nat just shushed her softly and continued petting her. No matter how old she got, Violet would always be her little girl, and she could count on her mom for anything, especially emotional regulation.
"You know," Nat said, laughing, "if you ever need to talk to another family member who knows how you feel, I know just who you can speak to."
***
Corrine and Ashley, in post coitous afterglow, were laying under the sheets of the bed, staring up at the ceiling, holding hands. Corrine was absentmindedly chewing on her lip, while Ashley rested her eyes. Corrine rolled her head to the side to look at Ashley and then back up towards the ceiling.
"The girl I dated before you," Corrine said, "she used to send me these little glass animals. She would find them in Hawaii after moving there, and she would mail them back to me because they were affordable, both in purchase and in packaging. My favorite was the turtle, cause I guess, in a way, I always felt kinda like a turle. Sheltered. Hidden away."
"I could see that about you, yeah," Ashley said, nodding.
"But I don't think it was just the animal that I related to," Corrine continued, "but the glass. The fragility. I've always been fragile. So much more so than everyone else around me. Always about to go to pieces and shatter. So I guess, what I'm saying, is maybe don't break me. If I'm going to entrust you with my fragility, don't break me."
Ashley felt her heart hurt a bit, but she understood Corrine had clearly been through some shit, emotionally, and she didn't want to be one of the people who added to that, so she was going to her damndest not to. Instead, she simply squeezed her hand a little bit tighter.
"What kind of glass animal would I be?" Ashley asked.
"Oh, you're a tiger, for sure," Corrine said, making Ashley laugh.
"And what makes you say that?" she asked.
"Cause, like a tiger, you can't change your stripes, you're exactly who you always were meant to be. Also you're kind a predator," Corrine said, making Ashley cackle as she rolled over and got on top of Corrine, kissing her, making Corrine laugh too. If Corrine didn't believe in the concept of 'the one', she sure did now.