Broken Handcuffs [III]

xvi.

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"So, what's been going on in Nicole's world?" Lana crosses her legs Indian style on the couch while Nicole sits in Lana's office chair— a request of Nikki's because she wanted to switch things up a bit. Nikki flips her hair playfully and pushes up her clear lense glasses (I choked thinking about Nicole with glasses) before doodling on Lana's sticky pad.

"Well, AJ's back in my life again. We're not dating, just friends but..."

"But?"

"With her... all of the crazy stuff came back. Apparently she had this dream about getting attacked three years ago and it was a memory of hers."

Lana nods typing on her MacBook, "That is a possibility, keep going." Nikki is silent. Lana pauses her task and looks at Nicole to find the wrestler looking at her. "Nicole?"

"Sorry, you're just really pretty."

The therapist laughs, "Are you gonna do this every time you come in for a session?"

Nicole takes the laughter in stride, "Are you always gonna be this attractive whenever we have sessions? Sometimes I think you dress up just for me. Or down, judging how well I can see your cleavage in that tight top." Lana makes a scandalized face.

"Why Miss Garcia, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were flirting with me."

"Are you that oblivious?" They both laugh. Lana hums before typing some more and Nikki gets back serious, "I'm still in love with April. I mean how could I not with the way things ended between us? With the way things were going for us?"

"I'm sensing a 'but' in this," Lana guesses.

"But," Nicole shakes her head at Lana's cheer, "I think I like Leah too."

"Leah is Carmella right? How come?"

Nikki unconsciously starts to smile, "We had quite the start, let me tell you. You know the whole hating thing and the apologies, blah blah blah. She starts to drop signals on me. The dirty signals, mind you and I haven't had sex in about a year, so I was as dry as the Sahara—"

"Nicole— I know I tell you to tell me everything, but that's a bit much to hear."

"Whoops," Nikki shrugs, "anyways, I was reluctant to respond to Leah but started anyway. We almost had sex one night but it didn't work out."

"Why not?"

"We both had a bit of a breakdown: her over her affair with Stephanie and my dealing with AJ being gone. We just hugged each other through it and put the sex up on the shelf." Lana keeps typing with no response so Nicole keeps going, "Leah and I would talk on the phone or text and she always made me laugh. I liked the positive vibes we had with each other. I got attached to Leah and wanted to date her. She told me no because she knew I was in love with AJ and didn't want to lose me to her."

"Self-sacrifice, that's a good trait." Lana looks up and gives her hands a break. "What happened next with you and Leah? How did she make you feel, seriously?"

"She... I don't know. Things were different between us. She was different from April." Nikki sighs.

"What separates Leah and April to you? What trait of yours did you find in Leah and April? There must be similarities between them to find the differences."

The questions are making Nicole's head spin, "They both know what they want. I know what I want. Usually."

"And they're different from each other how?"