"So we're going to start, obviously, with where you disappeared to this afternoon," Leah said, separating a twizzler and piling the thin red rope into her mouth. Despite myself, I giggled like a schoolgirl at both the question and the memory it brought. My cheeks heated to a burning sensation and I stared down at the brightly colored candy in my hand to avoid answering. "You're not getting out of this, Piper, don't you dare—"

But it was too late. I shoved all of the candy in my mouth at once and grinned up at her like a chipmunk before we both fell to giggles and collapsed onto our backs next to each other on the bed.

"Was that to avoid talking?" She asked once the laughter subsided. "Or were you demonstrating?"

I snorted.

"The latter," I answered and she gave me a shove so hard that I nearly fell off the bed.

"Shut up!" She squealed, excitedly. "You harlot!"

My door opened then and Connor entered, carrying a pillow with him.

"If you're going to be this damn loud, you might as well share the candy while you keep me up," he grumbled, shutting the door behind him and lying down at the foot of the bed. It wasn't unlike him to join us on these nights, grumbling about how tired he was and complaining the whole time even though we knew he loved the gossip just as much as we did. "Pass the Swedish fish."

I obeyed, tossing him the bright yellow bag and watching him root around in it.

"Piper was just telling me about her afternoon delight," Leah said with a grin. I pulled my pillow from behind me and smacked her with it but she only giggled and sat upright again.

"Oh yeah?" Connor asked, still rustling around in the bag. "What'd you get into, Señora Vega?"

He raised a brow as he looked up at me. I rolled my eyes.

"You thought I was gonna let that go, didn't you?" He said.

"A blow job," Leah blurted and he looked over at her and blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"She gave him a blow job. That's where they were."

Connor pursed his lips and gave me a nod of approval.

"That's our girl," he muttered, stuffing a handful of Swedish fish in his mouth. I smiled, holding back a laugh.

"So... how big?" Leah asked. Connor's eyes snapped up at that, the exact question he had asked earlier, the one I had narrowly avoided then. It appeared that I wasn't getting off so easily now.

"Guys, don't make me—" I started.

"Oh, come on. This is what girls' night is all about. It's tradition!"

"Yeah, it's tradition!" Connor echoed. Leah looked at him and he shrugged. "I really just want to know."

"It's— he's—" I struggled but then faltered, blushing furiously.

"Okay. I'm gonna hold my hands out at different intervals. You tell me when it's right," Connor said and then began with his hands less than an inch apart.

"Are you kidding me?" Leah snapped. "That's where you start? You think she'd even still be here if—"

"Guys, I'm not doing this," I interrupted. "I know it's tradition but this... isn't like the others. This is Lucas. He was friend first. Before I even knew you guys. He's not just some guy and I can't talk about him like he is."

Leah and Connor exchanged a look.

"You love him," she said then and I blinked at her for a moment before a bubble of nervous laughter escaped me.

"No," I denied.

"Oh good Lord, she does," Connor gasped, throwing down the candy and sitting upright. "You love him. You actually love him."

"I've always loved Lucas!" I burst. "I mean, not like that. Not romantically. But I wouldn't have done what I did for him if I didn't at least love him in some way, right? I mean, he always understood me. He was always there for me. When my parents got divorced, when my first real boyfriend dumped me, when I failed my calculus exam and had to take a summer semester to retake the class—"

"Damn, that boy was hard in the friend zone," Leah interrupted. Connor nodded in agreement.

"It wasn't a zone!" I exploded. "It was just... us. It was who we were together. He was my rock and I was his biggest supporter. So yes, I loved him. I love him. But not like what you're thinking."

Leah and Connor hesitated, a glance passing between them. I sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just... I mean, how is that different from love?" Leah responded. "Like, you loved him before, as a friend, and now you guys are having sex and—"

"Sex isn't love," I said, annoyed that I had to explain such a concept to her of all people.

"No," Connor agreed with a nod. "So you're saying, like, you love him but you aren't in love with him."

"Yes!" I replied, excitedly, holding out a hand in Connor's direction. "Thank you, Connor! See, he gets it."

"I don't," he said, shaking his head. "Not at all. I mean, it sounds like love to me. But you do you, you know? You know better than us what you're feeling."

"What are you guys going to do?" Leah asked. "Like... stay married?"

I shrugged, picking out some candy from our stash.

"I don't know," I answered, honestly. "I mean, for now we're seeing how things go, you know? Just getting to know each other again and having fun. I guess, at some point, we'll have to make the decision of what to do about our marriage. Maybe we stay married and together, maybe we stay married and apart, maybe we get divorced. I don't know. I think it depends on the investigation and on how things go between us."

"Oh shit, the investigation," Connor gasped. "I completely forgot about the feds."

I chuckled.

"Honestly? Me too," I admitted and we all fell to laughter again before Connor changed the subject to some swanky gallery opening that he and Vince had attended back in NYC where they'd run into Meryl Streep. Leah called him a liar and he spent the next twenty minutes trying to find the photo on his phone to prove himself.

In the end, we stayed up well into the early morning hours just talking and catching up, eating ungodly amounts of candy, and laughing so loud we were afraid we might wake up the whole house. It was fun, comfortable, nostalgic, and I found myself feeling more grateful than I thought I would that they had determined to come and visit, even if it was to attempt to save my life from some champagne-fueled dream of my murder.

We stayed up so late that we slept in until nearly noon the next day. I knew it was late from the way the sun was streaming into the room when I finally opened my eyes. I pushed Connor's snoring form off of me and onto Leah as I rolled over and reached for my phone.

The first thing I saw was the battery notification. 3%. I sighed and reached for the charger as my sleep blurred eyes cleared. Just before I plugged it in, I saw the text from Lucas.

Good morning Sleeping Beauty. I hope this text doesn't wake you up but I mentioned that your friends were in town and Nate invited all of us to the opening of some new club downtown with him and some guys from the design team. Let me know if you're interested. If you ever wake up, that is.

I smiled down at the message and tapped out a reply.

Sleeping Beauty got a kiss to wake her up, remember? No wonder I slept half the day. A club opening sounds fun. I'm sure Leah and Connor will think so too. Unfortunately, club attire was not on my packing list when I decided to visit my estranged husband in California.

I hit send and set my phone down.

"Girl, if you do not dim your brightness, I will slap you in your beautiful face," Connor groaned from his place between Leah and I.

"Ugh, it's too late," Leah snapped. "I'm up."

She sat up on her elbow, covering a yawn with the back of her hand.

"What's on tap today?" She asked, looking over at me. Connor groaned again and took her pillow, pressing it onto his face and turning over.

"Apparently, a club opening," I told her and her eyes widened. Connor shut up from the bed, eyes darting around frantically.

"A club?" He gasped. "Why didn't you say so?"

I chuckled at the same time that my phone vibrated from the nightstand. I leaned over and picked it up.

I'm sending Kevin home with my card. At this point, should probably just order you one. Take it and get you and your friends whatever you need for tonight.

Leah had leapt over Connor to read the message over my shoulder. I knew this from the loud scream that punctuated the air as Leah's knee punctuated Connor's kidney.

"His card?" She gasped, eyes wide. Before I could answer, my phone vibrated with another message from him.

By the way, I wouldn't be disappointed if some of my hard earned money went to something I could stare at your ass at in all night long.

Leah fell to giggles once she read the message and they didn't stop even as Connor shoved her off of him and sat back up, rubbing his side and grimacing.

"Off me, Amazon woman," he snapped. "Good Lord, you're like a lanky jungle cat."

"Shopping!" Leah screamed, excitedly, completely ignoring Connor as she leapt from the bed and ran to her temporary closet.

"Showering," Connor groaned. Still holding his side as he rose from the bed and shuffled off in the direction of his room. "See you both in a bit."

With Leah and Connor both busy getting ready for the day, I headed off down the hall towards Lucas' and, I supposed, my room, typing out a response to him as I went.

No promises. I think you've stared at my ass enough lately. I've got other assets to display, you know.

I hit send just as Luisa called out to me from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Señora Vega," she said. "Would you like for me to make breakfast for you? Or maybe lunch."

"Don't trouble yourself, Luisa," I answered with a smile as she came around the corner. "We will grab something quick while we're out. Señor Vega is sending us shopping."

She nodded, wiping her hands off on her apron, and then disappeared down the hall. My phone buzzed and I glanced down to see Lucas' reply.

Believe me, I know.

Grinning like a foolish schoolgirl, I strode off for the master bath and the enormous shower waiting within.