There was no way to tell how much time had passed until a warm hand clutched hers. Giselle unfroze and turned. Her eyes met Laury's and she realized her vision was blurred. Tears ran down her cheek. Her coworker's comment had hit close to home. That particular memory was buried for a reason. Not only because she had a jealous phase around that time, but because Laury didn't bring up the whole story. It replayed inside her mind just as if it had been yesterday. Laury came into the room with Ian in tow, both women overslept and she wore very revealing panties and nothing else. Her husband glared at her lustfully and her coworker grinned and told her, "He wants us to have a threesome. What do you say?".

She shot glances at the two, as deadly as any dagger. While Laury reigned in and laughed it off by explaining how it was a joke, Ian's face told a different story. The pain came from an overreaction, too much alcohol in her system and a joke that she didn't understand. It tore a wound that would remain to this day. She was too much of a chicken to work through it with her husband or her friend. The memory washed through her. It was the tide reclaiming the dry land. All her emotions and frustrations pushed the ocean through her. Forcefully she shoved the hand away and burst into a yell, "Fuck off, Laury. I still haven't forgiven you for that!".

Her coworker's face went dead serious. Gears turned in her head. Then she slipped out of her shoes and went inside to sit on the small sofa. Her voice was calm and invited the angry woman over, "Let's talk about it then". Giselle was debating in her head whether she should just leave. Slam the door into her friend's face and be done with it. Yet she couldn't do it. How many friends did she have left if she closed the door on this one? Faintly the memory reminded her that it had been her that didn't seek a resolution, it had been her to overreact and not deal with the aftermath. This time she had to deal with it. "Fine".

Grumpy and radiating hostility, the brunette let herself fall on the sofa next to Laury, but made sure they didn't touch. The other woman had a thoughtful, compassionate look when she took a guess, "Was it that Ian saw me quite naked?". "Take another guess", Giselle pouted and mumbled quietly, "Then it was that he came in with me?". "No, Laury! It was that you suggested a threesome to me!", she gestured and raged. "But that was a joke...", Laury said softly. It seemed to dawn on her that in that situation it might've been difficult to understand. She sighed at the realization. "I'm sorry, Giselle. You could've told me it was still bugging you though", her coworker apologized sincerely and Giselle immediately wrapped her arms around the woman. "I'm sorry, too. Please, don't be mad", she responded quietly. Tears formed in her eyes again. "These past weeks have been a mess. I really didn't want to explode like that", she added and forced a weak smile.

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"Don't worry, love. We're fine", Laury said and pulled away to look at the brunette, "Offering you alcohol now is a bad move, is it?". Giselle chuckled and shook her head, "I don't really care. If you want to get drunk, I'm game". Her coworker squinted and reached for her hand in a similar way that someone takes the hand of a madman. "What!", she complained and blushed. "Just wanted to check what just happened", the woman said. "Just get the damn wine".

Instead of the wine, both women took a deep breath and took turns through the bathroom to get rid of make-up and change. Giselle emerged in her silk pajamas. "Oh look at you, sexy!", Laury cheered, which made the brunette blush again. Feeling shame and very exposed, she sat on the sofa and covered her breasts. There and then it felt like a bad idea. When frustration and defiance had guided her hand she was convinced that it was a good idea. That conviction had faded. She could still borrow a shirt, but that would be admitting defeat.

"Here, drink some wine. Don't look at me like that, love. You're pretty", her coworker told her and sat cross-legged on the sofa next to her. The glass clinked against Giselle's and then she took a sip. "Oh, not bad", she praised herself for picking the bottle the other day. The brunette was still trying to figure out what had happened. Was that flirting? Probably not. Since Laury outright ignored her pajamas, after a couple of minutes she got used to it and it didn't feel like a stupid idea anymore.

When her glass was half empty, she said softly, "I regret that you are having a tough stretch. Thanks for entrusting me with all of it". Laury went silent and circled the glass between her thumb and index fingers in the same way Annie did. The woman stared at the liquid for a long time. Giselle leaned back and glanced out of the window. The sun was already gone and thick, dark clouds hung in the sky. Tick, tick. Raindrops hit the window there and then. "I try to be positive. Try to find the good things. Take one step at a time. Always move forward, you know? I cling to hope. To a future I don't even know will come. When my sis sent me that text and that prick emptied my purse, I guess I couldn't see the brighter future anymore", Laury whispered without looking up, "Guess I am jealous of all those couples that have another. Since I have no one like that. Maybe one day I will. Maybe… one day".