Love isn't easy

Chapter 26: March 12, 2031

March 12, 2031

5:22 AM. It's a Wednesday, one of the last few left of this frigid New York winter. Roseanne and Lisa's bodies are tangled in each other. The forty-one-year-old and the thirty-eight-year-old lay in such close proximity with their limbs intertwined to such a degree that it would be difficult to differentiate where one ended and the other began.

Roseanne's hands run up and down Lisa's naked and sweaty chest. Lisa's eyes are closed but a content, drowsy smile paints her features. Her open palm wraps around Roseanne's hip while her fingers absentmindedly drum against Roseanne's damp skin. Lisa inhales deeply before exhaling with a huff.

"What are you thinking about?"

Roseanne whispers.

"That I wouldn't mind being woken up like this every day."

"No?" Roseanne smiles and kisses the bit of skin closest to her mouth. Lisa shakes her head no. "You can blame the dreams I was having for the early wake-up call."

"So basically, what you're saying is that I just made your dreams come true?"

Lisa's languid grin grows.

"Always."

Roseanne retorts cheekily. In one swift motion, Roseanne swings her knee over Lisa's waist and straddles her. Lisa finally lets her lids flutter open. They both chuckle when their eyes meet and they take note of the messy hair and the half-lidded, post-sex hazy look the other one sports.

"I probably need another five minutes. I still can't feel my legs."

Roseanne sniggers at Lisa's honesty.

"Are you complaining?"

"Not even slightly. I just can't keep up with you. Not that I ever could, but I'm getting old. You have to be gentle with me."

Roseanne caresses Lisa's collarbone and cups her face.

"You're not old."

Lisa cocks her eyebrow silently refuting that statement.

"My back cracks when I move. I'm old."

Roseanne laughs.

"You've never looked more beautiful to me."

"Are you trying to get in my pants, Park? Because I know that's a solid lie."

"I don't need to work to get in your pants, Manoban. You're not wearing any."

"Got me there."

They both laugh and stare at each other in silence taking in every inch of exposed skin.

"What are you thinking?" Roseanne repeats her original question. Lisa scrunches her bottom lip and shrugs while shaking her head. Roseanne leans down and kisses her tenderly. "What are you thinking?"

Lisa has been home for close to three weeks. Those twenty-something days have been plenty of time for her and Roseanne to begin falling back into a routine and back in tune with each other. Because of this, Lisa knew exactly what Roseanne was asking of her. One of the things Doctor Hwang was attempting to get Lisa to do was open up to Roseanne. In both her individual therapy sessions and in her joint sessions with Roseanne it was made explicitly clear to Lisa that one of the main goals they needed to achieve was for her to learn the importance of candidly sharing her thoughts and feelings with her wife. Communication between them was going to be key moving forward. Roseanne made a point of stating that much quite firmly. It didn't feel like something that was negotiable.

Lisa takes a breath and closes her eyes anew. It was sometimes easier to talk to Roseanne about difficult things if Lisa doesn't look at her. Roseanne's gaze carried so much weight that it was hard for Lisa to divert from her lifelong instinct to recoil and compartmentalize if she could see her wife.