Thursday March 24th 2022

In the time it took Tiffany to set out and fill the food and water bowl in Jessica’s kitchen, put the scratching post by the living corner, lay out one cat bed next to Jessica’s bed and the other by the side window, Jessica had started to get her bearings back.

Everything about today was way off. Off kilter, off key, off tune. Just off. She took a few moments to gather herself and reconvene before getting dressed. She walked over to where Tiffany was now crouched down playing with the cat. She knelt down beside girl and feline.

“We need to talk.”

“No we don’t.”

“We need to talk,” Jessica quietly insisted.

“About what? The weather?”

“No Tiffany. About us.”

“Oh no-no-no. You’re mistaken. There is no us. I received that loud and clear,” the inflection in the younger woman’s tone was flat with a sharp bite of sarcasm. She kept playing with the cat, which was purring and rubbing itself all over Tiffany.  The blonde could hear the creature's claws extend and retract as it kneaded the air in pure bliss.

Jessica reached out to grasp Tiffany’s hand in hers, gripping it tight and pulling her up with her. She ignored the cats annoyed sniff of the nose and steered them out to the balcony. The younger one followed without much resistance, for which she was grateful. She sat them both down on the grating, their legs dangling into the street below, the cool fall breeze rippling through their clothing.

There was a soft thump as the cat deigned appropriate to join them. Jessica absentmindedly scratched at her nose and took a couple slow breaths.

“I’m sorry… Wait! Let me finish,” Jessica interrupted before Tiffany even had a chance to open and utter a single word. She knew the younger was still quite furious with her but she needed to get this out all in one go. She knew Tiffany had some pretty choice and apt words for her and her inexcusable and ry behaviour. And she knew they were very much warranted. She would give Tiffany the chance to express all her dissatisfaction to her heart’s content in a moment, but for now, she needed to clear things up. Both for Tiffany and herself.

“I am a coward. You are very much correct. I am an and inconsiderate. I am selfish and not always self-aware. I am all those things.”

“You forgot lazy, self-absorbed, frustrating, and conceited.”

Jessica nodded slowly “Yes. Those too. All of those.”

She felt Tiffany fidget next to her. They were sitting side by side close enough that she could feel the goose-pimpled skin against her arm. She brought her arm around the younger woman and drew her close. And in that moment, even in that exact moment that Tiffany was still so obviously pissed at her, Jessica felt Tiffany naturally meld into her embrace. It amazed her that the skinship came so easy to them even in the midst of a disagreement. How could she have so callously brushed off their blatantly obvious compatibility? Stacie was right, maybe there was something wrong with her. Damn that woman.

“I’m sorry I knowingly passed off this amazing relationship we have as a mere friendship when it was clear from day one that it was more than that. I’m sorry I was such a coward to have actively shied away from facing it. And I’m sorry I hurt you with my thoughtlessness. I’m sorry for not chasing after you that day in the t