It Happened in Vegas

Chapter VI

"So do you want to tell me what that was back there?" Dalia was first to break the silence.

"What do you mean?" Elise asked feigning ignorance.

Dalia gave an exasperated sigh, "When I was asleep, you woke me and you were... Y'know... "

"Oh, that, I don't know what came over me, in that moment, every feeling that I have had for you intensified and I couldn't fight it... I saw no reason to." Elise confessed, looking at her hands in her lap, avoiding looking in Dalia's direction.

Dalia gripped the steering wheel tighter, "You've had feelings for me?... I--I didn't know, " Dalia stuttered, trying to stay composed. "Since when?"

"Yeah, since high school. I was a little confused. I just thought I liked you so much because we were such close friends, but in the back of my head I knew it was something more." She started. It felt good to tell her, and the look on Dalia's face when Elise stole a glance was one that lacked judgement. So she continued to tell her the rest. "My Freshman year in college, the way you took care of me and helped me when I was struggling with my grades and all my home drama and thinking about quitting... That's when I knew that it was definitely more than friendship that I felt for you. Even the way you held me when I was upset... It felt electric." She confessed, now looking directly at Dalia. She paused, waiting for a reaction.
"Why did you never say anything?" Dalia asked. Something was in her voice but Elise wasn't quite sure what it was. "I never said anything because I shouldn't be like this, I should be strictly dickly. I thought I was and that my attraction to you was just a phase.  I've never had feelings like this for other girls because in my mind girls didn't fit into my "happily ever after" scenario... so I didn't know what to say." Elise answered, trying not to offend. "I know you do your whole lesbian thing, but I never thought it was who I am." Dalia smiled at the last statement. "I do my whole lesbian thing?" She joked, sensing that Elise was about to get teary-eyed. She always did when she poured her heart out. Elise smiled at her statement. "Shut up." She punch Dalia in the arm.

There was a pause. "Y' know, every boyfriend I had over the years, I looked for traits of you in him but there is really nobody like you." Elise looked down again. "So instead of dating, I focused on my career for a few years and trying to build our tiny empire. I tried to put my feelings out of my head. Then, I met Arson and I thought he was where I should be. A bad boy, who rolls on bikes and hangs out with the large, muscular, tattooed types. A man's man, y'know. But, that hasn't been enough for me for a while." She admitted and looked out the window. She'd said everything that she'd dare say. There was a brief silence.

"El, I love you, we have been girls since my junior year in high school, and I had to let my old feelings for you fall to the back burner because I love and respect you. You're my best friend first, above my sexual and romantic attractions to you, I respected your dedication to school, work, and everything your heart was into. Hell, I respect you for staying in your dead ass relationship with Albert, even though you just said that your heart hasn't really been in it." Dalia placed her free hand on Elise's thigh, "Whatever you want from me, you've got it. Even if this never happens again. I'm here for you through whatever, this doesn't have to change anything. As long as I still have you, I'm good. " Dalia gave a half-hearted laugh at the final part of her declaration and playfully punched Elise in the arm. "Payback for earlier."

Elise had a decision to make. Did she really wanna throw away 7 months of a relationship? Or just keep her friendship as a friendship? Should she tell Arson or pretend like this whole thing didn't happen? Whatever her decision, sex with either of them was off the table until she could wrap her head around all of it.