Chapter Thirty-Seven

Leslie heard talking and she tried to force her eyes open. She rolled her head, the cold glass of the truck window bumping her forehead.

"We got nothing, Hunter. We talked to Sammy. The only thing he told us was Rudy apparently hit up a kid that Patrick had sold cocaine to. He partied with it and Patrick killed him."

She turned, finally opening her eyes. The sun was nearly up and she stretched, managing to stifle a yawn.

"I'm telling you, Patrick is like a ghost. I hope you guys have better luck today."

Leslie studied Casey, seeing her nod.

"Okay, yeah. We're going to crash. Been a hell of a long night." Casey looked at her and smiled. "Later."

Leslie smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I fell asleep."

"No problem. I napped when you were driving."

"You napped for maybe a half-hour. Judging by the crick in my neck, I'd say I've been out for awhile."

"Not quite two hours. But it was quiet."

"So we're off the clock?"

"Yeah. They're already down on Elm hoping to spot him early." Casey headed north, crossing over Gaston. "You hungry?"

"I can't decide if I'm more hungry or tired. You?"

"I'm too tired to be hungry. I just want to sleep." She glanced at her. "Come home with me?"

Leslie raised her eyebrows.

"Sleep," Casey clarified. "I don't have the energy for anything else."

"Okay. Sleep. We'll worry about eating later." And she supposed she'd worry about her living arrangements later too. The hotel room was paid for the week, and she'd have to make a run by there to get clothes. She really needed to go by Michael's apartment to get more of her things. She didn't know when she'd have time, not with them working these crazy hours.

The vibration of her phone against her waist startled her. Only one person would call her this early. She leaned to the side and unclipped her phone, glancing at the number. No, not Michael. Worse.

She took a deep breath, then answered.

"Good morning, Leslie. It's Rebecca. I wanted to catch you before you started your day."

"Actually, I'm just ending my day. I worked the nightshift." She met Casey's gaze and mouthed Michael's mother.

"I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?"

"No. What's on your mind, Rebecca?"

"Well, what a silly question, dear. I guess you know what's on my mind."

"No offense, but really, this is between me and Michael."

"He's just devastated. I've never seen him more upset. Surely you can't just walk away from this engagement without trying to reconcile your differences."

She rolled her eyes, wondering just what it was Michael had told her. "There is no reconciling. You want me to be blunt, I will. I'm not in love with him." She glanced at Casey who was being polite and at least pretending not to listen. "I'm not going to marry him."

"And you think telling him you're gay is going to appease him? How could you tell him such a thing?"

"So he doesn't believe I'm a lesbian? If I told him I was having an affair with another man, he'd believe that?"

"Oh, Leslie, what are you doing? Was it that bad that you need to ruin his life? What about all the plans? Why, I practically had your wedding arranged."

Leslie sighed. "Yes, you did. And I'm sorry. But things happen. I wasn't happy with Michael, and if he's honest with you, he'll tell you that he wasn't really happy with me. This is best, Rebecca."

"No, I don't believe so. I want you to reconsider. The least you can do is go to counseling like he suggested. You owe him that much."

"Oh, no. You're not going to guilt me into this. I don't owe him anything." She looked again at Casey. "We all deserve to be happy in life. I'm not going to settle. Neither should he."

"I just don't understand why you--"

"Rebecca, I am extremely tired. Trust me when I say there is nothing either you or Michael can say that would change my mind."

"But--"

"Good-bye." She closed her phone and leaned back in the seat, eyes closed. It was a conversation she didn't need to have in front of Casey. She'd not actually told Casey about her talk with Michael yet. And after listening to her end of the conversation, she was most likely filled with curiosity.

But still, she said nothing, her eyes fixed on the street. Finally Leslie could stand it no longer. "I know you want to know. Why haven't you asked me?"

Casey laughed. "I was trying to be polite and mind my own business."

"After everything we've...well, shared the last few days, don't you think it's your business?"

"Everything we talked about before this, I knew you wouldn't come to me until you'd ended things with Michael. How you ended it, what you told him, I don't think that's my business. I don't know him. That part of things was just between the two of you." She smiled. "And apparently his mother."

Leslie stared at her. "You're very trusting."

"I like to think I'm a good judge of character." Casey looked at her quickly, then away. "Am I wrong?"

"No. You're not wrong. I told Michael I wasn't in love with him and couldn't marry him. When he insisted we go to counseling to try and fix things, I told him they couldn't be fixed. I told him I was a lesbian." She smiled. "Of course he didn't believe me."

"Was that hard?"

"Saying the word lesbian out loud? Yeah, it was. A little. But saying it out loud, especially to Michael, made it all real to me. It wasn't just something in my mind any longer. It wasn't just something I thought about when I was with you. Saying it out loud made it true."

"I don't imagine it's going to be easy. You have people in your life who have known you as a straight woman. A change like this, it's a shock to most people."

"Yes. And I'm hoping Sam will be willing to talk with me. She seems so strong about everything."

"She's strong about it because she's sure of their relationship. Tori was the one balking when they met. But then you'd have to know Tori. She had this idea that no one could love her."

"So she didn't trust Sam?"

"I don't think she believed someone like Sam would love her. Of course, the Tori we know now was not the same person back then. As Sam says, she had issues to work through." Casey pulled into her driveway and stopped. She smiled tiredly. "My issue right now is can I make it into the bedroom before I fall asleep."

They didn't say anything else as they went into the house and down the hall. In the bedroom, they stripped, but there was nothing sexual about it. Casey pulled the covers back and got in, holding them up for her. She climbed in beside her, letting Casey wrap her naked body around hers.

"I love sleeping with you," Casey murmured before her even breathing signaled she was fast asleep.

Leslie sighed contentedly, pulling Casey's arm more firmly around her and letting her eyes slip closed.

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