Roseanne leaned back against the pillow, the sheet pulled only to her waist. Lisa was on her side, leaning on an elbow, her hand lazily moving in circles under Roseanne's breasts.
"You could come to Denver with me," Roseanne offered.
Lisa's ministrations paused for only a moment before resuming their endless brush against her skin. "And do what?"
"You could stay with me until you decide what you're going to do."
Lisa sighed. "Tempting." She looked up. "Very tempting. But I've got to get my life back in order." Her hand stopped its movements altogether, and she rolled onto her back. "I need to sort out everything, decide what I want to do. I'm good with a camera," she said. "But I don't want to chase wars anymore."
Roseanne rolled to her side, reversing their positions as she now leaned on her elbow, her hand reaching out to touch Lisa. Her voice had a bit of the old sadness in it, and she wondered if she'd simply been suppressing it this last week or if it really had disappeared for a while. Now that the wedding was over, real life was about to roll around again...bringing real life issues to the forefront once more.
"Where will you go?"
"I'm going to San Diego, I think," Lisa said. "I have a friend there I can stay with, someone I can talk to. She was in the profession too."
Roseanne was surprised by the hint of jealousy she felt. "An old lover?"
Lisa smiled. "No. Irene is my mentor, if anything." She took Roseanne's hand and brought it to her lips, kissing the back gently. "I need to thank you...for rescuing me."
Roseanne smiled. "Is that what you call this?"
"I was in a dark place. You could have left me there," Lisa said. "I know at first I wasn't very good company."
"Maybe I should thank you for rescuing me," she countered. "I would never tell Vivianne this, but the prospect of spending nearly two weeks up here celebrating a wedding was not at the top of my fun list. But you made it fun, Lisa."
Lisa again kissed her hand. "I'm going to miss you, Roseanne."
Roseanne nodded. "I'll miss you too." She paused. "Will I ever see you again?"
"I hope so." Lisa squeezed her hand tightly. "I just need some time to...to get me back," she said.
Roseanne understood. Of course she did. Lisa had suffered a personal loss, had witnessed something traumatic...something awful. She didn't expect her to have dismissed it simply because they were lovers. Lisa had obviously managed to ignore it for a while, had put it at the back of her mind. But now...now it was time to put this affair aside and get back to reality.
And the reality was that Roseanne had a life in Denver to get back to. She had projects at work that needed her attention. She was actually looking forward to getting back. She was not, however, looking forward to returning to her empty apartment. Sharing living space with Lisa these last four days had made her realize how lonely her apartment really was. Maybe it made her realize how lonely her life really was.
Roseanne met her eyes, trying to read them. "You're leaving in the morning?"
Lisa nodded. "You?"
"I suppose. It's not that long a drive for me but I do have things to tend to before work on Monday," she said. She tilted her head. "You're not driving all the way to San Diego, are you?"
"Actually, I thought I might. Head south into New Mexico, then cut across the desert. Been a long time since I've had a road trip."
Roseanne tilted her head, a slight smile on her face. It did sound like fun. She almost wished Lisa would ask her to go along. Would she go? No, of course not. She had a job to get back to. She had her life to get back to.
