It took a moment to register with the blonde just what the brunette was asking, “Oh, Al. That was the only time. I haven’t been with anyone else and I’d only just met him that day. It wasn’t something that was planned. It’s no excuse, but I was drunk and thinking about you and what a bitch I was and I guess I wanted it to happen. I felt like I wanted to just completely ruin myself so that you would never want me again. God! That’s fucked up, right?” Piper placed her palm to her forehead and closed her eyes, wishing she could redo the last 48 hours. Oh, how things might have gone differently.

Alex had been quiet for a long time and the silence only served to make Piper nervous so she asked, “What are you thinking?”

The brunette sighed deeply and said, “I’m just not sure that I can keep doing this with you. It’s like you’re this fucking rollercoaster ride I’m stuck on. You broke my fucking heart, Piper.”

Piper rose up to look Alex in the face, “So what are you saying?”

Alex sat up beside her, “I don’t know…I just…don’t know.” She paused to gather thoughts before continuing, “Look, can we just table this discussion until I get through this funeral? The vigil is in a few hours and I’m giving a eulogy so I really need to focus on this right now.”

Piper lifted herself off the bed and began straightening her clothes. Alex looked at her oddly, “Where are you going?”

Piper shrugged trying to appear as if Alex’s words didn’t hurt, “Polly’s, I guess, at least, until I can get my shit together and find a place.”

Alex crawled across the bed and grabbed her by the wrist, “Whoa, hey. I never said you had to leave and I never said I wanted us to be over. I’m just stressed enough as it is and we have a whole plethora of shit to wade through and I want it to be right for the both of us. Okay?”

Piper nodded and Alex kissed her briefly, “Good. Now go get your smelly ass a shower and come back to me, my little spoon.”

Piper smiled while pulling her shirt over her head. As she turned towards the bathroom, she felt Alex tug a belt loop on the back of her pants, “Hey, let me see that,” said the brunette curiously. She was of course referring to the small scar just above Piper’s left hip bone.

Alex giggled, “Every time I see this I can’t help but think of the look on your face when you slipped off that bemo.”

Piper playfully pushed the brunette away, doing her best to seem offended, “I lost my sandal! Besides who knew how dangerous public transportation would be in Denpasar?”

Alex, who was much taller and stronger, easily pulled her back, “Pipes, it was a straw market flip-flop. You can’t just leap out of a moving van.” At this point, the brunette had dissolved in to a bought of laughter.

Piper swatted her with her smelly shirt, “Hardy har har…laugh it up chuckles…If you keep bringing that incident up, I might feel compelled to remind you of your little episode in Kuta Lombok.”

Alex shivered, “Oh those creatures were vile.”

The blonde laughed teasingly, “They’re called sea lice, babe.”

Alex eyed her with playful annoyance, “Ass…”