Chapter 20
20
LEXI
L exi sat on the edge of her couch, mindlessly flipping through the pages of a medical journal. Her thoughts kept drifting away from the articles in front of her, drawn to the quiet hum of her apartment. It had been a few weeks since Catherine was discharged from the hospital, and though Catherine had healed physically, Lexi could feel the emotional distance still lingering between them. Catherine had needed space to adjust and rebuild her life after the accident. But Lexi had hoped—no, expected —that they’d find a way to move forward together.
The waiting had worn on Lexi. She’d been patient, supportive, and understanding, but the silence between them had grown unbearable. Every visit and every conversation felt like they were dancing around something they both wanted, but were afraid to claim. Lexi had no intention of pushing Catherine into something before she was ready, but she couldn’t help feeling like they were stuck in limbo. Catherine’s marriage was over, but Lexi wasn’t sure if she was ready to take the leap into something real, something that would bring their relationship out of the shadows.
Lexi sighed and stood up, stretching her arms over her head. The evening was quiet—too quiet. Her thoughts were chaotic, and she couldn’t shake the sense of restlessness gnawing at her. Just as she was about to grab her phone and send Catherine a text, there was a knock at the door.
Surprised, Lexi opened it without hesitation, and there stood Catherine. Her face was slightly flushed, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she was holding a small, weathered envelope in her hand. Her gaze met Lexi’s with an intensity that made Lexi’s heart flutter.
“Catherine?” Lexi said, surprised by the unexpected visit. “What’s…what’s going on?”
Catherine swallowed hard and looked down at the envelope in her hands. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clearly gathering her thoughts. There was an energy about her that was different tonight—her usual guardedness seemed to have fallen away. Lexi stepped aside, silently inviting her in. Catherine entered slowly, her eyes scanning the apartment before she looked back at Lexi.
“I…” Catherine began, her voice tight, but she cut herself off. She held out the envelope. “I served the divorce papers. I’m sorry I have been distant. I just wanted to make a totally clean break so we can move on together. It is all over now. I told him about us.”
Lexi’s heart skipped a beat, her breath catching in her chest. For a moment, she couldn’t process what Catherine had said. It took her a moment to fully absorb the gravity of those words. Catherine had left James really and properly. She’d actually done it.
“Wait,” Lexi said, her voice shaky as she took the envelope from Catherine’s hand. “You…you’re serious?”
Catherine nodded, her eyes filled with a quiet resolve. “I’m done with him, Lexi. It’s over. It had been for so long. I just needed to take that final step.”
Lexi’s mind raced, her pulse quickening. Catherine was standing right in front of her, no longer bound to the life she’d lived with James. It was the moment she’d been waiting for, but it was also the moment she’d never believed would happen. She was relieved, but she couldn’t deny the surge of uncertainty that came with it.
“I…” Catherine’s voice trembled slightly, as though the weight of the moment had just fully hit her. “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that. I was so confused, and I didn’t know what to do. But now…I know what I want. I want you , Lexi. No more lies. No more hiding. I want to be with you.”
Lexi’s heart swelled with emotion. For the first time, it felt like Catherine wasn’t just saying the words to fill the silence, but truly meaning them. Lexi stepped closer, feeling the air between them shift. “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice soft.
Catherine nodded, her gaze steady and sincere. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
Tears welled in Lexi’s eyes as she reached out to take Catherine’s hand, her fingers trembling from the weight of everything they’d been through. “I’m so glad you’re finally free,” Lexi whispered, her voice breaking.
They stood there for a long moment, just holding hands and letting the reality of the situation sink in. There was no more waiting, no more wondering. It was just the two of them now, ready to begin again.
“So what now?” Catherine asked softly, her voice carrying a mix of wonder and uncertainty. Her eyes locked on Lexi’s, searching for reassurance but also craving something more.
Lexi stepped closer, her fingers brushing against Catherine’s in a slow, deliberate motion. “Now…we start over,” she said, the words feeling heavier than they should. They were starting anew—not just in their relationship, but in their lives. The weight of Catherine’s decision to leave James hadn’t settled in fully, but Lexi could already see the difference in her. Catherine’s posture was different, more open. The mask she’d worn for so long was gone, and for the first time, Lexi saw her with nothing left to hide.
“I’m glad you came here tonight,” Lexi continued, her voice tender. “I’m glad you’re finally free.”
Catherine gave her a small, wry smile. “It wasn’t easy. I had to make a lot of hard decisions.” She shook her head slightly, her fingers curling around Lexi’s as if grounding herself in this moment. “But I’ve realized I spent too long living for other people. I’ve been hiding, not just from James, but from myself. I don’t want to do that anymore. I love you. I always have. Right from the start.”
Lexi’s heart swelled. Catherine had spent so many years in a marriage that clearly didn’t fulfill her, in a life dictated by someone else’s expectations. Lexi understood that feeling—of trying to fit into a mold and be something other people wanted, but never fully living in your truth. But now Catherine was here, standing in front of her, ready to embrace who she really was. Ready to embrace them .
“You don’t have to hide anymore,” Lexi said softly, the words coming from a place deep within her, filled with understanding. “Not from me. Not from anyone.”
Catherine’s eyes shone with something new, something hopeful . She leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to Lexi’s lips, a kiss that felt like a promise. No more secrecy. No more shame. No more lying to themselves or anyone else. Just honesty. Just them.
As they pulled apart, Catherine let out a shaky laugh, her eyes full of emotion. “I never thought I’d be here, Lexi. I spent so many years stuck in a marriage that was never right, and I just…I don’t know, I thought I was trapped. I thought that was all I deserved.”
Lexi shook her head and brushed a strand of hair out of Catherine’s face. “You deserve so much more than that. You deserve love. You deserve someone who sees you, really sees you. Not as some trophy, not as someone to fill a role. You deserve the freedom to be yourself.”
Catherine closed her eyes, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “I didn’t know what that freedom felt like until I met you,” she whispered.
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with the weight of all the things they hadn’t said before. A tide of love and relief washed over Lexi. This was what she’d wanted, what she’d dreamed of for so long—Catherine, whole and unapologetic, choosing her, choosing them .
“Then let’s make sure we don’t waste another second,” Lexi said, her voice low and full of intent. She cupped Catherine’s face gently, her thumb tracing the curve of her jaw. “We’ve spent so much time being scared and holding back. But no more.”
Catherine nodded, her eyes darkening with the weight of what they were about to embrace. Lexi could feel the intensity between them growing, an unspoken understanding passing between them. This wasn’t just about the end of Catherine’s marriage. This was about their future, about choosing each other, fully and completely.
Catherine stepped closer, her lips brushing against Lexi’s once more, but this time the kiss was different. It was deeper and more urgent, as if everything that had built up over the past months was finally being released. There was no more hesitation. No more holding back.
Lexi’s hands moved to Catherine’s waist and pulled her closer, their bodies pressing together as the kiss deepened. The electricity between them was undeniable, the connection so intense that it felt as if the world around them had disappeared. All that mattered in that moment was them.
When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Lexi looked into Catherine’s eyes, her heart racing. “Are you sure?” she asked, her voice trembling with the intensity of the moment.
Catherine nodded, her eyes wide with emotion. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Without another word, Lexi took Catherine’s hand and led her into the bedroom, the space between them charged with anticipation. Tonight, there would be no more guilt, no more secrecy. There would be only them, finally free to be together in the way they’d always wanted.
Lexi pulled Catherine in closely, but she frowned as Catherine put her hand between them.
“You’ve spent the last few weeks taking care of me. Let me take care of you now. Please?”
Their whole relationship Lexi had refused to let Catherine “give” to her. She’d known that if she had there would have been nothing stopping her from giving her everything to Catherine. And with Catherine’s marriage standing in the way, she hadn’t wanted to risk her heart like that. Although she wasn’t sure now that it had served as any kind of protection. But now…now there was nothing in their way.
Lexi nodded and invited Catherine in with her eyes.
She let herself just feel as Catherine took her time slowly unbuttoning her blouse, savoring every inch of skin as it was uncovered. Lexi couldn’t help the shiver that ran across her skin as it was gradually exposed to the cold air.
As Catherine kissed down her neck, it felt as though tiny fires sparked to life at every kiss, burning into her skin—along her collarbones, across her breasts and stomach. Lexi’s breath hitched as Catherine’s hands fiddled with the zipper on her pants before smoothly dropping them and her panties to the floor. When Catherine gently pushed her backward onto the bed, she completely let herself go. It had been a long time since she’d given up control, but with Catherine she was finding it surprisingly easy.
Lexi could’ve finished right then as she watched Catherine drop to her knees in front of her.
“You don’t have t?—”
“Shush. I want to. More than anything. Now let me enjoy myself. I’ve been waiting months to touch you, to taste you.”
Lexi could only moan at that. She flopped backward. As much as she wanted to look into Catherine’s eyes while Catherine worked with her mouth between her legs, she knew she wouldn’t last a minute if she did.
Catherine’s touches were soft, gentle, and slow, easing both of them into it. Lexi found the tension she’d been holding begin to fade as Catherine stroked around the folds of her pussy with her tongue, as she delicately passed back and forth over her clit, replacing the stress of the last few weeks with warmth and pleasure. She felt herself sink into the feeling.
She could feel Catherine’s warm mouth taking care of her in the one way she had so desperately wanted to feel for so long now.
“You feel so amazing…” Lexi growled and her voice came out as no more than a whisper. She could hear her own moans as she relaxed into the pure sensation that was Catherine’s mouth on her pussy. She felt Catherine’s tongue pushing inside her and it felt like the most exquisite thing she could imagine.
Lexi could feel her climax growing closer and closer, slight tremors beginning to run their way through her. Warmth engulfed her pussy and she gripped Catherine’s hair as Catherine began to lick at her clit in slow circles, then flicking rapidly, and back to circles. Lexi couldn’t hold on any longer. She thrust her hips into Catherine’s face.
“I’m…. fuck….. I’m…. Catherine…..”
Lexi’s climax that she had waited so long to feel crashed over her, wave after wave flooding her body with pleasure like she had never felt before.
As the waves finally subsided she felt Catherine crawling up her body, the delicious weight of Catherine’s body pressing into her own. She looked into Catherine’s beautiful amber eyes and kissed her. She could taste her own orgasm on Catherine’s lips.
“You were incredible,” she smiled at Catherine.
Catherine’s smile back at her was more beautiful than ever.
“Thank you,” Catherine said.
“For what?”
“For trusting me enough to give yourself like that to me. I know how much of a big deal it was for you. Pleasing you like that was the greatest pleasure I have ever known. I promise I won’t let you down, Lexi. I love you.”
Lexi smiled and for the first time felt the warm promise of their shared future flood through her. Things felt different now. In the best possible way.
“I love you, too.”
The morning light softly spilled into the apartment as Lexi lay in bed, her body entwined with Catherine’s. The quiet stillness of the moment was a far cry from the chaos of the past few months, from the secrecy and the fear of the unknown. Today, there was no more hiding, no more sneaking around. Today was different. It was the beginning of something new, something real .
Catherine shifted in Lexi’s arms, her face buried in the crook of Lexi’s neck, her breathing slow and steady. Lexi’s heart swelled with affection as she pressed a kiss to the top of Catherine’s head. They’d made it through the worst—the hard decisions, the pain, the weeks of living in the shadows. And now they had nothing left to hide. Their love, raw and unfiltered, had survived.
“I never thought this would happen,” Catherine murmured, her voice muffled against Lexi’s skin. “I didn’t think I would ever feel this…free.”
Lexi smiled softly, running her fingers through Catherine’s hair. “It’s not always easy, but you’re free now. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Catherine pulled back slightly, her eyes meeting Lexi’s with a depth that made Lexi’s heart skip a beat. There was so much in those lovely amber eyes—so much history, so much longing…and now, so much hope.
“I know,” Catherine whispered, her voice filled with sincerity. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this. How much I needed you . To be seen. To be loved for who I really am.”
Lexi’s chest tightened. The words hit her harder than she’d expected. The pain that Catherine had carried for so long, the loneliness she’d experienced in her marriage to James, and the fear that she wasn’t worthy of love—it was all there in those words. It broke Lexi’s heart to think of the years Catherine had spent in that marriage, suffocating under someone else’s expectations.
“You deserve so much more than what you had,” Lexi said, her voice thick with emotion. “You deserve someone who loves you without reservation. Who sees all of you—your strength, your brilliance, your heart. And that’s me. I’m here, Catherine.”
Catherine’s lips curled into a small smile as she leaned forward and captured Lexi’s lips in a kiss that was soft but filled with an intensity that spoke volumes. It wasn’t just a kiss of passion. It was a kiss of reassurance, of a promise. They were building something together, brick by brick, and nothing was going to break that foundation.
When they pulled apart, Catherine rested her forehead against Lexi’s, her breath warm on her skin. “I don’t ever want to go back to that life. To pretending. To hiding.”
Lexi’s hand cupped Catherine’s cheek, her thumb brushing against the soft skin. “You don’t have to. Not anymore.”
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They just lay there, wrapped in each other’s embrace, the quiet comfort of their shared space enough to fill the gaps that had once been filled with doubt and uncertainty. Lexi knew, without a doubt, that this was where she was meant to be.
Eventually, the silence was broken by the sound of Catherine’s phone buzzing from the bedside table. She groaned, pulling away reluctantly from Lexi’s warmth, but the reality of the world outside their bubble had to be acknowledged eventually. Catherine reached for her phone, her eyes scanning the screen before she let out a small sigh.
“James,” she muttered under her breath, her fingers pausing on the screen.
Lexi could see the tension in Catherine’s posture immediately, the familiar tightness creeping back into her shoulders.
“You don’t have to answer it,” Lexi said softly, her voice laced with both understanding and a tinge of protectiveness. “You don’t owe him anything anymore.”
Catherine hesitated, her fingers hovering over the screen, before she set the phone down without answering. She turned to Lexi, a small but resolute smile on her lips. “You’re right,” she said quietly. “I don’t owe him anything. Not anymore.”
Lexi’s heart warmed at her words. It wasn’t easy to let go of someone who’d been such a big part of her life. But Lexi knew that Catherine had already made the decision—her marriage had ended long before she’d signed those divorce papers. It had ended the moment she’d chosen herself.
“Are you okay?” Lexi asked, her hand gently squeezing Catherine’s. “I know it’s still a lot to process.”
Catherine nodded slowly, her expression softening as she met Lexi’s eyes. “I am. I’m just…I don’t know. It’s weird, you know? Finally being free. It’s like I’ve been holding my breath for so long, and now I can finally exhale.”
Lexi pressed a kiss to Catherine’s forehead. “You don’t have to do anything on your own anymore, Catherine. I’m here. Every step of the way.”
Catherine’s eyes softened. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, but this time, it wasn’t from pain or fear. It was from relief. From knowing that, finally, she wasn’t alone. “I know,” she whispered. “And I’m so grateful. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
Lexi smiled and brushed the tear from Catherine’s cheek. “You don’t have to thank me. You just need to be here. With me. That’s enough.”
For a long moment, they just held each other, basking in the warmth of their connection. Catherine had faced a lifetime of uncertainty and fear, but now she was here with Lexi, starting a new chapter of her life. And Lexi was ready for whatever that chapter held.
Finally, Catherine pulled back slightly, her hands tracing the outline of Lexi’s face with reverence. “I don’t want to waste another second,” she said, her voice filled with quiet determination.
Lexi’s heart skipped a beat as she looked into Catherine’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
Catherine leaned in, her lips brushing against Lexi’s ear as she whispered, “I want to start living for us. I want to build our future, Lexi. No more hiding. No more pretending.”
A wave of emotion washed over Lexi, her chest tightening with the intensity of Catherine’s words. She’d never been more sure of anything in her life.
“Then let’s start now,” Lexi said, her voice hushed with love and certainty.
And with that, their lips met once again, a kiss that was full of promise and hope. It was a kiss that spoke of everything they’d been through to get here, and everything they would build together in the future. No more barriers. No more doubt. Just the two of them.