Although it's a Saturday, I have to get up early for a business breakfast. Another important client I couldn't tell no. I leave the warmth of the bed I'm sharing with Juliette and kiss her neck, trying not to wake her up. But I know I will, she's a light sleeper. She attempts to face me but her leg hurts so she gives up. Instead I walk to her side of the bed. "I have a meeting this morning, go back to sleep."

"It's Saturday." She barely manages to utter.

"I know baby I'm sorry. I have to go. I promise it won't take long ok?"

She mumbles something in agreement. I press one last kiss on her forehead and stare at her. She's so beautiful. I'll never grow tired of that sight. "I love you." I tell her although I know she won't hear it consciously as she has fallen back asleep.

The meeting didn't take long, my client wanted to make sure we were right on schedule and that the last readjustments he wanted would be done for the Superbowl next weekend. Of course it would be. Who does he think I am...Amelia Sheffield always gets the work done, and ahead of time. I wouldn't ask a shitload of money otherwise. The ads during the Superbowl cost a great deal of money but they also bring back a lot more. Although the changes my client is asking mean a lot of extra hours and some will be challenging, but I'm sure the result will be outstanding.

I beam when I enter my penthouse, pleased with my meeting but stop as I hear laughter and music coming from the kitchen. I walk there as discreetly as possible and observe a scene I had not witnessed in months. Lily is in the kitchen with Juliette and the two of them are dancing together like mad women to the sound of "Don't stop me now".

I'm staring amused, the girls not noticing me. When the song has ended I cheer which attracts their attention. "Hello girls, what's going on?" I kiss Lily and wrap my arms around her mother to kiss her on the lips when Lily is not looking. She's panting and all red in the face. "Gosh, I've had my exercise for the day. We have guests."

"So, that's why you made me go all the way through Manhattan to get you a bottle of white wine when you know I have a cellar stuffed with bottles?"

"The one I want is better than your several hundred dollar bottles and I needed this particular wine for the recipe. It's sweet and perfect."

I laugh at how weird she can be sometimes when food is involved and remembering my embrassement in front of the wine expert when I tried to get the name right. I had to call Ju and hand her the phone. " You couldn't get a Pinot or a Merlot or anything easy to pronounce?" I scold her playfully.

"What. Gascogne is not tough to say. Wait until I have you buy Gewürztraminer."

"We're still talking about wine?" I laugh. "Who are our guests?"

"I invited Sandra, Lea and Kev."

"But there's food for ten more people."

"I know. Lea likes to bring a doggy bag home...so I always make sure there's more than enough."

"Is that your way to apologize?"

"What? Why would I need to apologize to her?"

"Hum...you sort of shouted at her and refused to see her the other day?"

"She deserved it. I didn't do anything wrong."

I open my mouth to speak but quickly close it. Better shut up Amelia.

"What?!" nothing escapes the brunette.

"No, nothing. I don't want to sleep on the couch tonight." I kiss her and escape to our bedroom to change into a pair of jeans and a turquoise silk botton-up I know Juliette loves. Better turn her on than mad.

I join them in the kitchen and grab an apron. "What can I do chefs?" Lily tells me to grate the cheese and to be careful not to add a piece of my finger. Yuk. Cheese is already disgusting as it is. But wait, we have cheese now? So much has changed in my kitchen. In my life.

I'm not a great help so I sip on the white wine Juliette is using for her recipe. She's making...hell I can't remember the name of the meal. It's somethign French obviously, with some white meat I don't recognize, carrots and cream. "It's too bad you can't drink, this wine is really tasty. I can't believe it cost just 30 dollars." She rolls her eyes at me in a way that says "I told you so...I'm always right you should know by now."

I try to grab a slice of apple Lily is putting on a baking tin covered with dough but she slaps my hand and rolls her eyes at me. Those girls. I swear. Finally I'm saved as I hear my phone beeping. "Our guests are here." I exclaim and help Lily off the kitchen counter.

Juliette kisses both women on the cheeks while I remain behind and just greet them with a nod and a smile. I don't feel the need to kiss them, this habit is a bit weird for me and we're not close anyway. And even if we were, I don't particularly like physical contact. Except with Ju, of course.

"Hey, where's Kev?" Ju enquires. "He couldn't come after all. He was needed at the store." Lea answers.

Kevin is the manager of a store that sells sports equipment, she explains to me, and is seldom available at the weekend although he was supposed to be free today, but one of his co-workers called in sick. Juliette leads the way to the living room and I follow her closely. I hear gasps behind my back and know Sandra just noticed the view. I make the drinks and we chat waiting for lunch to finish cooking. Or rather...we wait until Juliette estimates her meal is perfect and ready to be savoured.

I sit down next to Juliette, but not too close, and Lea sits on the other side, too close to Juliette to my liking, wrapping her arm around her. I scream internally but know better than to make a scene and I just caught a weird look in Lea's eyes. I know she's doing it on purpose, to get any type of reaction from me and that if I don't give her one, the question will pop out of her mouth soon.

"We miss you at practice." Sandra says.

"Yeah your softball season is over babe." Lea continues.

"Thanks for reminding me..."

"At least you're getting some exercise with those crutches. I bet your arms are already stronger. But you should practice doing splits." She winks in my direction and Juliette punches her. "Ouch, definitely stronger...So...are you back together?"

It didn't take her long. My gosh, that woman is so nosy.

"Lea..." Juliette warns but she presses on.

"You know, if you don't want Amelia, I'll gladly make her my girlfriend."

"Ah, I knew it, you're gay." I beam.

"Yeah sure. If I were Juliette would be mine already."

"Nop." Sandra says making a popping sound and we all turn our heads in her direction. "You damn well know Kelly would never have let that happen."

The three women burst out laughing and I stare, surprised and excluded from their shared memories. But as their fit of laughter starts to make them shed tears, I laugh along until we stop, our cheeks wet and stomachs aching.

"Care to explain?"

"When Kelly and Juliette moved to the USA they joined the softball team. I wasn't the coach at the time. I started hitting on her...you know, as I always do cos I'm a very flirty person..and she's just so sexy I couldn't resist."

"And I answered, being the flirty and tactile person I am." Juliette continues and they tell the story, adding details one after the other.

"Of course I had no idea she was Kelly's girfirend."

"As if it would have stopped you." Sandra cuts in.

"Kelly was very shy...not into PDA in front of strangers so there's no way anyone could have suspected anything." Juliette comments. "One evening during training Lea hugged me from behind and started kissing my neck. I let her. I knew it meant nothing."

"But Kelly stormed in, grabbed Ju by her hand to free her from my hug and she punched me hard on the jaw." She reminises, rubbing her chin.

"You had to take her to the hospital cos I was so mad at her I had refused to go..."

". ..yeah she had broken her index finger..."

"...she couldn't play the piano for a month..."

"...and softball either. But she kept coming to training..."

"...to keep an eye on me of course. We had a huge row not long after. I threatened to fly back to France if she couldn't stop being jealous. I told her she had nothing to fear from me, that I am not the cheating type, never have been. But I am flirty, it's part of who I am and I refused to change the way I am."

"What d'she say?" I ask.

"We had a kid didn't we?" Juliette says, smiling, but lost in her memories. "She promised to behave and Lea and I kept our distances for a little while."

"Finally I started seeing Kevin and she stopped being threatened. Which gave me a free pass to Juliette's neck." She adds, kissing her under her jaw as if to prove her point. And was that another attempt to provoke a reaction from me? Let me tell you it worked. I put my arm around Juliette and slap Lea's hand to make her remove hers. And I finally give Lea the answer she has been waiting for: I kiss my girlfriend full on the lips.

"Finally!" She exclaims. "Great, I'm happy for you two! I'm such a great matchmaker. I should change careers."

"About that...I need to apologize." Hush, Juliette is doing something I thought I'd never hear. "You were right taking Lily here. I was...well...I was...wrong. Gosh it hurts to say it."

Lea laughs at the apology but she knows she won't get anything better and seems pleased but still surprised by Juliette's words, and she squeezes her hand. Nothing else needs to be said.

We gather at the dining table for lunch which is always a culinary orgasm. Juliette should open her restaurant and I tell her, "Are you trying to get rid of me? You'd never see me at the weekend or at night if I had to cook for strangers."

"I'm reconsidering. I love having my personal chef instead." I see her cutting a pill in half and getting it down her throat with a glass of water.

"How's the pain babe?" For fuck's sake, can't she stop calling her that?

"I feel it less and less but I still need the painkillers. I don't take too much though, you know how paracetamol makes me all weird already."

Desert consists of apple pie, brownie, and ice cream of course for Lily. We open a bottle of Clairette Juliette had me buy too. She likes it more than champagne and says it's perfect with her choice of desert. I have learnt never to question her decisions in the kitchen and she's right. I see Juliette has poured herself a glass and I'm not sure it's the best idea with her medication but she only had half a pill so I guess she'll be alright.

As we keep on chatting, I move my chair closer to Juliette and she immediately takes my hand in hers. She unbottons the sleeve of my right arm and rolls it up. Once satisfied she starts stroking my forearm with one finger, following the shapes of my tattoo, which she loves doing. She keeps going absent-mindedly, tickling me.

Our guests leave soon after desert and to my surprise, Lily picks her backpack, and takes Lea's hand to leave with her. "We're having a sleepover!!" She exclaims. Juliette comes behind me and wraps one arm around my waist "We have the whole weekend to ourselves. Any plans?" She whispers in my ears. I'm instantly turned on and take her to our bedroom as soon as the elevator doors are shut.

Juliette is giggling uncontrollably. I suspect she's tipsy and it's making her more sensitive than usual. This time she doesn't let me take my time...I know being tipsy makes her horny and she is. I help her strip and strip myself, falling on the bed and almost on top of her leg but I manage to catch myself. I kiss her and she grabs my head, deepening the kiss. I let my hand roam on her breasts, on the side of her stomach, making her laugh, she clasps her hand around my wrist preventing me from tickling her accidentally. I still have another free hand and I use it, inserting two fingers in her soaked entrance. She gasps in my mouth and moans louder as I quicken my pace. Her grasp on my wrist becomes tighter and I feel her walls clenching. Finally she stops breathing and I know what's coming. Yup the release of air as she climaxes. She finally lets go of my wrist as she rides out her orgasm. "I love you." She says, still panting. "You love that I make you cum is all." I answer playfully.

"Sit on my face." What the fuck?

"Amelia?"

"Yes baby?"

"My body is completely numb. Do as I say before I fall asleep and end up with a long list of things I owe you."

So of course I comply. Gosh I love this woman. Better put a ring on it before Lea tries to steal her from me.

.......................................

I wake up and feel Amelia's steady breath on my neck. I smile and stroke her right arm, the one with the tattoo I love so much. When I'm lying in her arms like that I need a moment to remind myself it's real, that I'm not dreaming. Everything is just...perfect. Back in December, I never would have imagined we'd end up here. She has changed so much in the past weeks and at times I don't recognize the Amelia I fell in love with. She's someone better, so caring, so loving and not just with me. There's nothing I love more than watching her play with Lily and seeing she actually enjoys it. I didn't think I'd be able to fall in love again, not after Kelly. But I think I have. At times it scares me but I push the thought away, but no matter how hard I try it always comes back. I'm afraid I won't be able to love Amelia as much as I loved Kelly. And some other times I feel so drawn to Amelia I'm afraid I may forget about Kelly.

"Good morning baby." Amelia's soft voice saves me from my dark thoughts and I turn to face her but wince. "You want me to get your pills?"

"Please, and water." Amelia gets out of bed and quickly comes back with my medication. I swallow the entire pill and kiss her. Our bodies are still naked from last night and I rest my head on her chest while she carresses my back, and I close my eyes, falling back to sleep for a little while.

When I wake up Amelia is still stroking my back. Her movements are slow and steady, as if she's lost in her thoughts. I've noticed she's been lost in them these days but always believed she was concerned about work. She has this important commercial for the superbowl to finish and I know it's stressing her out even if she won't admit it.

"A penny for them?" I love that expression and use it a lot as there's no equivalent in my language.

"Hum what?"

I lift my head to stare into her beautiful blue eyes and ask again "what is on your mind?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She answers but not looking at my eyes.

"Amelia, you know you can tell me anything. Just please don't hold back."

"I...I'm just scared of your reaction."

Fuck what did she do again...I try to contain my sigh and to remain calm but I dread what she's about to tell me. "Just...don't hide anything from me. Amelia please."

And here it goes "I did something stupid, while we were....you know....broken up." She still doesn't look at me. So I grab her chin and force her to face me. I look deep into her eyes and see her sorrow and guilt, but I also see fear.

"As you said, we were not together anymore. You tried to talk to me and I would not let you explain or apologize. Let's just....forget about it."

"Really? you're not mad?"

"As if I'm the sort of person to get mad at something like that."

She chokes on her own spit and I have to get off her so she can sit up. When her fit of coughing has stopped she looks at me, one eyebrow arched. "Are you serious?"

"Of course not." I laugh out loud. I'm so good at making bad jokes. "I'm trying to make this relationship work. I can't just storm out of your life whenever you do something dumb. Anyway, I couldn't if I tried with this shitty leg. Thank you for telling me."

"I've been meaning to, for some time now."

"I knew something was nagging at you. Please, let's promise to always be honest with each other."

"I promise." She answers with a solemn tone, and a wave of heat washes over me. It's as if she had made another promise to me and I feel the butterflies in my stomach. I straddle her, not caring about he pain in my leg and kiss her deeply. She's a bit surprised by the suddenness but I know it has turned her on instantly, just like whenever I do something she doesn't expect in bed and I love to surprise her. This time I top and she lets me, which is a rare occasion, probaby the first time, but I stop thinking and remembering all the previous times we had sex, and just concentrate on this one, kissing each inch of her skin, taking my time. We have all day and I'm not in a hurry.

................................