Chapter 20
After leaving the cafe Willow had spent her day trying to get some work done. It had ultimately been an effort in futility. She had settled for sitting on her couch texting River. Later, she would go over to Willow’s house. She could only hope that Mel would see her side of things.
Amy had never been an option, not really. But she had needed to have the conversation. Willow had needed the closure. Willow’s love for Mel had never lessened over the time she spent with Amy. But would Mel believe that? Willow had spent the last two hours desperately trying to tune into the show she was watching. She was finally beginning to settle in when her door shook with a thunderous knock. Willow startled, but knew immediately that it had to be River.
She opened the door and was surprised to find that River was not alone. Autumn and Piper both stood with her. Autumn and Piper’s arms were crossed over their chests. They leveled stares at Willow.
“Hey guys. Why don’t you come in?” Willow chuckled.
“Willow, how could you not tell us what was going on with Amy?” Autumn accused.
“I can’t believe we had to hear about everything from River,” Piper said sternly.
“I was a little busy actually handling the situation,” Willow responded.
“You can’t send like a text message or something?” Piper asked.
Despite their tones, Willow knew that her friends were here because they cared. She flashed Autumn and Piper an apologetic smile. Willow watched as the two women dropped their guards.
“You’re right, I should be better about keeping the two of you up to date,” Willow admitted. Autumn and Piper grinned.
“That’s all we ask,” Piper chuckled. Willow rolled her eyes.
“Catch us up,” Autumn said, she strolled over to Willow’s couch and sat down.
As if on cue Sushi ran in from Willow’s bedroom and plopped into his dog bed. It was as if Sushi wanted to be part of the gossip, too. They laughed at the scene of the beagle laying there, paws crossed, watching them.
“Okay, catching you up. Mom did a thing and tracked Amy down. So I come home and it’s just Mom and Amy at my kitchen table. I was thrown pretty off guard. Not at all what I was expecting. I guess I’ve been on Amy’s mind. She was hoping we could rekindle the relationship.”
“Of course, she was. You were a great girlfriend,” Piper announced. The beginnings of a smile curved up the ends of Willow’s lips.
“Thanks,” Willow said genuinely.
“I don’t think Mel would agree. Unfortunately, she got caught in the middle of this entire situation.”
“What did she say about all of this?” Autumn asked.
“She said we should go on a break while I figured everything with Amy out.”
“Which is honestly fair,” River chimed in.
“I know. It’s just hard,” Willow admitted.
“So where are things between the two of you now?” Piper asked.
“I’m supposed to go talk to her tonight.”
“What are you going to say?” River asked.
“I’m going to explain my side of things. I’m going to apologize, because this has been unfair to Mel. I know that it has. And I’m going to hope that she can forgive me.”
Her friends nodded their heads.
“Mel is the real deal. We could tell when she hung out with us. You don’t exchange something that real for something that has already run its course,” Piper admonished.
“I know. What I want with Mel is real, too. I can only hope after everything that she can see that,” Willow admitted.
Piper’s words wouldn’t have hurt so much, except that they struck a chord. Her friend was right. Willow had fallen for Mel, but she had let her go until she sorted things out with Amy. It had been a mistake; Willow could see that now. As if she could sense Willow’s inner conflict, Piper gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“What do you want with Mel?” Autumn asked.
“Everything. I want all of my future firsts to be with Mel,” Willow answered.
She was a little taken aback by her own confidence in the statement. From the expressions she was receiving around the room her friends were a little surprised as well. She allowed herself to enjoy the moment and settle into the certainty. It felt good to feel certain. When she looked back at her life with Amy she had never felt this certain about their relationship. As much as it had hurt when Amy left, Willow couldn’t really say she’d been surprised. Amy had always been hesitant every step of the way.
Willow turned her attention back to her friends. Sushi came over for a few head scratches. They all chatted for several more minutes. Willow remained aware of what time it was. Mel should be home any minute. It was River who met Willow’s eyes and read her expression. River shot Willow a warm smile.
“Well, ladies, we should probably get going. Willow has to get ready for her big talk,” River announced.
Willow groaned and shook her head. River was an amazing friend, but she wasn’t at all subtle. Piper and Autumn looked at one another and laughed.
“We’re glad we got to get the scoop on life events in person,” Autumn grinned.
“I’m glad you all came over. Thank you,” Willow said. Her heart swelled as she hugged each of her friends.
Reality hit Willow as soon as the door closed behind her friends. It was time for her to go talk to Mel. Willow slid on her shoes and walked towards the door. Every step down the sidewalk was heavy. She stopped frozen in front of Mel’s door. Willow forced her hand to push the doorbell. She heard Mase barking then Mel’s voice quieting him.
Her mind split considering both possible outcomes of their talk. Mel forgiving her and them staying together. Mel telling her to fuck off, and Willow leaving broken-hearted. There were tears in her eyes before Mel even opened the door.
Willow quickly wiped the tears away, It wasn’t fair for her to show up crying. Not after everything that had happened over the last couple days. Mel opened the door and smiled at Willow. The sight of Mel’s smile made Willow want to melt into a puddle on the floor.
“Hi.” Willow’s voice was barely above a whisper.
“Hi.” Mel smiled. Mel stepped aside and allowed Willow to walk through the door.
“I missed you.” The words came and left Willow’s mouth before she could capture them. Mel tilted her head to the side, her smile still a little tight.
“Why don’t you tell me about the last couple of days,” Mel offered.
“I will. I’ll tell you everything and I’ll answer your questions. But I have to say something else first.”
“What’s that?” Mel asked.
“I have to say I’m sorry. Seeing Amy brought back so many things for me.”
“I understand,” Mel offered. She opened her mouth to say more then shut it again. Willow paused, waiting for Mel to find her words.
“I understand how that probably threw you for a loop. But my biggest problem is how you handled it. You didn’t talk to me about it. You didn’t talk to me about how you were feeling. You said this was something you had to handle. We’re supposed to be partners.” Willow hated the pain that tinged Mel’s voice.
“I never meant for you to feel brushed aside. When Amy left I was broken. I wanted closure so badly, so that I could move on. So that I could move on with you,” Willow pleaded.
“I was never opposed to you getting closure. I just don’t like the way things played out between you and I. You told me you were in love with me, and then pulled away so you could talk to your ex-girlfriend. How should I feel about that?”
“You’re right. I was so focused on getting what I needed that I didn’t think about how that might look to you,” Willow admitted. Mel released a loud huff of air.
“Did you find the answers you were looking for?” Mel asked.
“I did.”
“And?”
“Amy left, and things weren’t what she’d hoped for. Now she wants to come back. But if she were with me I’m pretty sure she’d think that things were better over there. It was never really about Amy. It was about me being able to move on with you. And I didn’t ask you to be involved because I’ve never had a partner who would have wanted to be involved in a messy situation with me,” Willow explained.
Willow watched as Mel’s face visibly softened. Mel unfolded her arms and reached out for her. Willow practically fell into Mel’s arms, allowing the woman to fold her into an embrace.
“Well, now you do have a partner that wants to go through messy situations with you, so let me,” Mel said, her tone firm.
Now Willow allowed her tears to fall. She tried not to let them soak into Mel’s shirt, but her attempts were unsuccessful.
“I thought maybe I had pushed you away for good,” Willow admitted.
“I was thrown for a loop to be sure. But, no, I’m not going anywhere. This is exactly where I want to be,” Mel purred into Willow’s ear.
“I love you,” Willow whispered.
“I love you, too,” Mel smiled. She hooked a finger under Willow’s chin and brought her face forward into a kiss.
Willow allowed the moment between them to deepen, drawing her into it. The new and now familiar feeling of certainty flooded Willow’s mind, incapable of being ignored. She met Mel’s eyes and offered a warm smile.
“I’m so glad we found each other,” Willow smiled.
“You mean you’re glad that I knocked you to the ground so many times that you couldn’t ignore me?” Mel smirked.
“There’s no one else I’d rather have slam me to the ground than you,” Willow teased.
“Oh, I would hardly say you were slammed to the ground.” Mel laughed.
Willow pressed another kiss against Mel’s lips. This was it. The fresh start she’d been waiting for. Willow had a chance to move forward with Mel and leave the past behind her. There was nothing she wanted more than this new life with Mel.