Lisa – Part 6

Read in order: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 & Part 5.

After a few days of Lisa’s TLC, I was feeling almost back to normal. I regretfully knew that I had to head back to work and to my own apartment, even though we’d meshed into a kind of sweet rhythm while I stayed with her. When Lisa got home from class that day, I told her, as we lay together on the couch and watched some old movie on cable while the shadows of early evening deepened around us.  

“You don’t have to go,” she murmured to me, “I love having you here.”

“I love being here, but I have to go back to work tomorrow night, Lise. I have rent to pay and bills, and I need to do about twenty loads of laundry.” I responded, turning my head so I could see her. She was twirling some of my hair between her fingers and looking pensive.

“Are you going to run from this, from us?” She asked softly.

“No. You asked me to trust you and I do. So can you do the same with me? Look, I’m learning something about myself that I never even considered two weeks ago, my finances are in a shambles, and I just need to sort things out for a couple of days.” I didn’t tell her, but I think she knew, that I needed to face what I felt for her outside of her apartment, where we were safe in a little nest.

“I don’t know why you won’t -” She began but I shook my head.

“You are not paying my rent. You are not paying my bills. It means the world to me that you want to, but no. I’ll take care of it.” I frowned. I was already fretting over Andy paying my hospital bill and flat-out refusing to accept any repayment from me, though it was admittedly tempered with secret pleasure that at least one monkey was off my back.

“By working doubles and running yourself into the ground when you’re barely getting well? No, don’t deny it. I know you. So stubborn.” Lisa sighed, smoothing the scowl off my face with her fingertips. She was right. I had already arranged to take a few shifts from people who had covered for me in the hospital and on this unscheduled vacation, mostly for the money, but also to get my ranking back. It didn’t matter if I’d been deathly ill; “excessive absenteeism” was a convenient excuse for the surly Head Waitress Suzanne, who did all the scheduling, to knock you off the good shifts and stick you back on Sunday-Tuesday nights with early outs. 

“I promise I’ll take care of myself,” I replied, but Lisa looked unconvinced. “Hey,” I wheedled, “Listen, I’ll check in with you every day. I’ll go to the doctor when I’m supposed to.”

“You’d better, or I will drag your ass back to the hospital and have them put you in restraints.” She threatened, and it made me laugh hard for the first time in days. It wasn’t even that it was that funny, it was also relief at finally feeling better and being giddily taken with her. When I looked back up at her she was smiling, but her eyes had changed.

“What?” I asked, still giggling.

“I love when you laugh,” Lisa whispered, moving her fingers to trace my lips, “You and that smile, and that pretty, pretty mouth…” She bent to kiss me and I just opened under her, letting her lead me where I needed desperately to go.

“Say stop, and we’ll stop,” she gasped out after long minutes of drowning in each other.

I ran my mouth over her jaw so I was right next to her ear, and in a little breathless voice I said, “I don’t want to stop this time.”

So Lisa clicked off the T.V. and took me by the hand to the bedroom to seduce me, slowly at first, and then completely. I’d had my share of sexual experiences, and even thought one or two of them were pretty spectacular, but she shattered me, in a thousand little ways.

I woke late, and Lisa was already gone to her classes. She’d left me two glazed doughnuts (plain, which are my very favorite to this day), a glass of OJ, and my medicine packed up on the counter, along with a little note reminding me to call her and a few other things that made me blush. Kari came to pick me up because my car was still at our apartment.  She shamelessly inspected Lisa’s apartment while I gathered my bag of clothes and personal stuff.

“So, you’re back to work tonight, huh?” Kari asked, helping herself to one of my doughnuts.

“Yeah. Thank God it’s Wednesday, shouldn’t be that bad. And I have my inhaler and stuff.” I said, searching for two socks that matched.

“Cool. I’m Shift Lead, so if you start feeling sick, just tell me, OK?”

“OK, sure.” We took my stuff down to the car and I locked Lisa’s apartment and set the alarm. I’m sure Kari noticed Lisa’s key was on my regular key ring, but I didn’t think anything of it. Kari and I drove in companionable silence for a few minutes.

“You know, there’s a big rumor going around about you and Lisa.” Kari remarked at last, and I turned to face her. We hadn’t been roommates very long, but I generally trusted Kari. Still, my heart started to pound slightly. I was used to the gossip mill but I didn’t have to like being its focal point.

“What a shocker. There’s a big rumor going on about someone every day.” I replied, striving to sound offhand.

“Yeah. Patrick started this one, though. He won’t shut up about seeing you and Lisa…so…are you guys…you know?” Kari finally asked, while I blinked at her, and she continued in a rush, “Because it’s cool if you are. Do you think you might be a lesbian?”

I stared hard at my goofy, sweet, completely guileless roomie. “I don’t know what I am at this point. Look, I don’t think I was faking being attracted to guys up til now, no. But Lisa and I are…we’re together. I’m still kind of trying to figure this out myself.” I wasn’t explaining it very well, but one of the great things about Kari was that you didn’t have to make sense. She nodded sagely.

“I kinda made out with Judy at Nate’s party three weeks ago. I mean, I was totally tripping, but I still liked it. I think. So whatever, right? Do what makes you feel good, Coco. That’s all I meant.” Dumping this wealth of information and surprisingly coherent advice in my lap, Kari abruptly switched gears and started talking about Shane’s latest modeling gig. I felt strangely comforted.

At home, I plowed my way through several weeks’ worth of laundry and fortified myself with a breathing treatment and some magic cough elixir before I headed into work to run the gauntlet.

Stay tuned for part 7!