The Reunion

Chapter 8

After her speech, Skylar walked away from the bathroom, leaving a conflicted Cherie in the bathroom doorway. When she was done processing Skylar's words, she joined her on the bed, sitting beside her. She felt completely spent after going through their past, through her feelings that centered around Skylar and the ones that were buried for her ex-wife. Even Skylar looked tired after orchestrating it all. "This has been a very eventful night, hasn't it?"

"Leave it up to me to bring the excitement." Skylar gave a tired laugh. "I'm really sorry I put you through all this."

"I mean, you could have just pushed me on a playground to show me that you liked me."

"Would it have worked?"

"Who knows." Cherie shrugged. "It never crossed my mind to tell you because I was the queer girl crushing on her straight best friend. It might have gone well in some movies but I was facing real life and I just couldn't risk it. I didn't want to risk our friendship."

"And I couldn't risk being rejected by you," Skylar admitted, "I think that would have hurt more than being separated from you all these years." Skylar rested her head on Cherie's shoulder and exhaled. "I've missed you so much."

Those words warmed her from the inside out and the plan she had before to leave was reevaluated. She wanted to stay, needed to stay to be close to the woman, who had turned her night completely upside down.

"Skylar?" She hummed in response and raised her head to look at Cherie. "Can I kiss you and it mean everything?"

The question received a smile and she nodded, tilting her head to welcome the oncoming kiss. "Wait." But she stopped Cherie's lips from making contact. "What are your intentions, Cherie?"

"I just want to kiss you."

"But what if I want more than that?"

"How much more?"

"All of it. All of you. That's if you want the same from me." Cherie truly didn't know how to respond. In the past, she would have jumped at the chance to be with Skylar, even now, her heart raced at the thought but she had to discern whether or not her receptiveness to the idea had anything to do with her need to fill the hole her ex-wife left behind. "I want a relationship with you and I know I'm asking a lot of you but I can't let this opportunity pass me by. I understand we are different people now, twenty years of change would do that, we can be considered strangers again but to me, you're still the first girl I fell for and I fell for you all over again tonight."

"Skylar, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything now. Just think about it."

"We both just got out of marriages."

"I know and I completely understand if you're not ready to date but I just needed to put it out there."

"Okay." Cherie nodded as her mind worked around the idea. Was she willing? Was she open to it? Were there any feelings there for Skylar? Surprisingly, the answers to all three questions was yes. "I'm open to the idea of us but I don't want you to be a rebound relationship and I don't want to be the same for you either."

"I can respect that and there's no rush."

"How do you want to start a relationship if you're leaving in two days? How would that work?" That important detail didn't seem to be a big issue to Skylar but it was to Cherie.

"Let's take the possibility of a relationship off the table for now and let's say we just rekindle our friendship, which I feel like we have jumpstarted tonight. As my friend, I would extend an invitation to you to visit me in Denmark and if you felt compelled to come then I might persuade you to stay."