only if you love her

chapter three

it was finally six o'clock. we only had an hour more to go. i had spent all day trying to avoid her, which to be fair, was kinda hard but I was doing a pretty decent job.

she came around the corner with a float and stopped, waiting for me to acknowledge her presents but instead i simply picked up the gun i was ordering with and walked through the double doors.

after a long hour and a half, after i was done ordering, i had already expected for her to have left, but when i walked back to the receiving door to put the gun on the charger she was standing there. "need help with anything?" i asked as i turned but didn't walk away.
"no...why are you being so weird? we've gotten along so well this week. what did i do wrong?"

"are you done with everything? wanna walk out together?"

"of course. let me get my papers from the office, and then I'll be ready."
i stopped outside the door and when she opened it, she looked startled. "didn't actually think i would wait for you?" i asked teasingly.
"no, i actually didn't. but i'm very glad you did."

we walked out the door and started up the parking lot to my car
"so, how long have you been with Candice?" i bluntly asked her.

she slowed down and looked at me, taking a deep breath "four years."
she didn't look back at me instead she just starting explaining herself, "she was married when we worked here before. we were best friends and then, suddenly, we were more than that. she left her husband and kids for me though, so what am i supposed to do?" She thought for a moment as i tried to retain all of the sudden information she had given me. "have you ever been in a situation where you feel stuck? have you ever been in a situation that you don't like, but feel obligated to stay there because you were the one who started it?"

i took a deep breath "yes, i do."

"i love her. and even though we aren't happy, i feel like we could get back to where we use to be."

"Jess." i give her a knowing look and explained "it's hard to get back to that, you both have to want it badly for it to truly work."

"i know and you're right. so what about your ex? why did you guys break up?"

"how do you know i have a crazy ass ex story to tell?" i said making a joke about it. she laughs quietly as i kept going "but honestly, because as much as i loved her, i would never be her priority. soon enough that pushed me away and before i knew it, i wasn't 'in love' with her anymore.

"i've been faithful to Candice, the only girl ive ever been faithful to. oh my god, look at this."

she moved closer to me to show me a picture on her phone. i started laughing and looked up at her, we made eye contact and it was like the world stopped spinning. she flashed a faint smile at me and then i realized that we were getting closer to each other, i shot back away from her.

oh my god, we just almost kissed. why did i move back? why wouldn't I? what is wrong with me??

"i probably need to go home..." i said, regretting the words before they left my lips.
she smiled and turned to walk away but paused and said "have a good night, Brooke."

"have a good night, Jess." i said softly. I got in my car, and thought about my encounter with her the whole drive home.

when i walked through the door, Cait whipped around so fast she almost knocked the couch over backwards, "what happened?? tell me all about it!" she said so curiously.

after i finished laughing about the fact she almost came flying over the back of the couch, i sat down in the chair with Jax. i started telling her about our day, talking a million miles a minute, "well, we walked in together and while we were going through the parking lot, she told me she had a girlfriend. but they aren't happy together. she slept with her while she was still married to her husband and now that this girl has given up her whole life, Jess feels stuck. ya know?
oh and then we almost kissed."

"so she's been flirting with you this whole time while going home to her girlfriend??" Cait repeated back to me angrily
"wait. wait, what? Christ, no one ever told me it would be this hard living with a lesbian." we both laughed, but let's be real, is she really wrong?

"go get our drinks and chips, i got pizza. i'm going to turn on Friends and you can finish telling me about your fucked up love life and then i have to tell you what Ayden said to me today!"

_______________________________________

"so what color is the kitchen gonna be again?"

"Cait, we have decided on this three times. the kitchen is going to be number 8, bedroom number 4, and living room number 16; in that little book thing aunt Susie brought by. we've been saying we were going to do this since i was in dairy and two months later we haven't even started."

"we got two cats, a gym membership, we had dinner with your family, AND i even went on a date with Ayden. what we've accomplished in the last two months should be written on plaque."

"oh yeah, and when am i putting in for vacation? bethany told me but I forgot and i need to go ahead and do it."

"well, considering we're going down there for YOUR birthday, my guess would be April 2nd through the 12th, stupid."

"Cait, you're the best friend i've ever had, ya know that? but i have to go. its 245 and I'm still trying to practice being on time. I love you. I'll see you when I get home." i closed the door behind me.

i was closing with Jess because we have a wax and shine tonight, so of course i had on tight gray dress pants, and a black shirt with a bra that made my boobs look really good.

as i sat down in my car, my phone starting ringing and when i picked it up "kaira pierce." was sitting on my screen. i hesitantly answered, "hello..."