Anni scanned the Vereinsein filled with happy people dancing. Nele and Mesut were busy feeding each other pieces of their wedding cake and somehow managed to not smash the frosting all over each other's faces. Although they were not officially married thanks to a series of unfortunate events throughout the day, the near disaster of a night was shaping up rather nicely. Even Tayfun and Ayla were holding each other close as they danced. Anni saw them kiss and felt a tiny pang of jealousy for the close moment they shared. She looked over at Jasmin, who was dancing freely with her back turned to Anni. This woman, her woman, was so beautiful that Anni could sometimes hardly believe her luck, even though things between them right now were less than ideal. Anni smoothly danced toward her and brushed her hand on Jasmin's elbow causing her to turn around. When Jasmin saw that it was Anni who had made the effort to be close to her, a huge smile spread across her face and Anni smiled back. They began to dance playfully and carefree with the awkwardness of earlier in the evening seemingly forgotten.

Anni reached out and tugged on the hem of Jasmin's shirt pulling her closer. A surprised Jasmin flashed Anni a big smile and Anni smiled back at her showing her dimples. It had been such a long time since Jasmin had seen Anni smile so warmly at her. She loved her smile. She also loved being so close to Anni that she could smell her familiar scent. As Jasmin was moving to the music Anni put both hands around her waist and pulled her in. As their bodies touched, an immediate wave of warmth spread through Jasmin's center like fire. She was no longer moving in time with the music. She looked at Anni whose face was now only inches away from her own, and her defenses were failing fast.

Anni was feeling playful when she had first grabbed Jasmin's shirt, but the moment their bodies touched a fierce desire pulsed through her, and the playful flirting was soon forgotten. Her smile turned serious when their eyes locked. Anni looked into Jasmin's gorgeous brown eyes and then down to her luscious lips. From that moment all she could do was surrender. Anni guided her hand to the back of Jasmin's neck and gently pulled Jasmin's face close to hers and they both closed their eyes. Their lips touched and it was no longer a want but a need to be close to each other. Anni deepened the kiss and Jasmin responded hungrily with her own desire. Anni's tongue traced Jasmin's lips requesting access, and for a moment Jasmin's defenses were overwhelmed. Jasmin kissed her back passionately until the present situation and circumstances surrounding the state of their relationship roused her from a heady fog of desire.

Jasmin broke their kiss and pulled away, cautiously meeting Anni's questioning gaze.

"Sorry," Jasmin said nervously. She offered a weak smile.

Anni was caught off guard and felt instantly rejected. She was trying to show Jasmin affection. Anni thought Jasmin would be pleased. Jasmin had kissed her back after all. Hadn't she wanted it too? Almost as a reflex she retorted with the first thing that popped into her head.

"What's wrong now?" Anni snapped with a little more intensity then she meant to.

Jasmin was taken aback at Anni's harsh tone, her feelings instantly wounded. She could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes and she fought them back. She had to get out of there now, before she broke down completely. She made a move toward the door and grabbed her coat on the way out. Jasmin quickly closed the door behind her and filled her lungs with the cool evening air calming her. She slipped her coat on as she walked briskly toward her shared apartment.

Jasmin's thoughts were racing. What the hell had just happened? Anni had been lukewarm and cautious with her ever since she had returned from Hamburg, and even earlier that night she had been making awkward small talk when Jasmin had tried to speak with her about their relationship. Then, Anni had saved the mood of the evening with facilitating the impromptu wedding vows. Everyone had been dancing and enjoying the party. Jasmin had been pleasantly surprised when a smiling Anni had danced up to her. It was like old times, just the two of them having fun. Jasmin kept replaying the last few minutes over and over in her head as she walked up the apartment stairs. Anni had looked into her eyes right before they kissed, and it was like she had taken down whatever barrier she had erected when she said needed a break. The need for a break!

"If she needed a break so damn bad then why the hell did she kiss me?" Jasmin mumbled to herself as she slammed the door to her apartment. She had successfully warded off the tears, but the confusion remained. The kiss had felt so good. Her body had certainly responded. Jasmin was a little pissed off at herself for getting so turned on and so readily kissing Anni back when her mind was telling her that they needed to talk first before they were intimate physically again. She threw her keys on the table and shed her coat. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps coming up the stairs outside and a key in the lock.

Anni walked in and their eyes met. Anni offered what looked like an apologetic smile and dropped her keys on the table. They faced each other and Jasmin felt both nervous and happy at the same time to see her. Anni had come after her right away. She did care.

"Did I do something wrong?" Anni asked.

Jasmin didn't quite know how to respond. Wrong wasn't necessarily what it was, but she was certainly sending mixed signals. Didn't Anni know how she felt? Couldn't she understand how Anni needing space one minute and then passionately kissing her out of nowhere the next might mess with her feelings? Jasmin had been so careful the past month not to even touch Anni for fear of being rejected again. She remained standing saying nothing.

"I thought you wanted it too," Anni said hesitantly. Jasmin sighed and thought about how to respond. She very much did want it too, but not without the whole package. Her body and mind were wrestling with each other. The kiss they had just shared had both set her on fire and made her sad.

"Yes. I want you too, but… that's not the point."

Anni waited for her to continue.

"Look, there's a reason you wanted this relationship break, right?"

Anni nodded.

"Because you felt suffocated."

Anni looked down at the floor feeling guilty.

"And I haven't changed," Jasmin continued.

Anni fidgeted with her hands and responded, "I know we have to talk about us."

Jasmin sighed and took the comment in a negative way.

"Man, you make it sound as if you had to go to the dentist," Jasmin responded, hurt. She sat down and was on the verge of tears again.

"I said it perfectly normal, but again you have to…" Anni trailed off, not finishing what she was going to say when she saw the sadness in Jasmin's face. Again you are taking what I say the wrong way, she thought to herself. Why can't you just understand what I mean? This was getting them nowhere.

"See, if we get into this this now we are just gonna fight again." Anni continued gently, "I don't want to fight with you. Not today, and not at Nele's wedding."

Anni walked over to where Jasmin was sitting and knelt down so they were on the same level. Jasmin searched Anni's eyes and Anni returned a pleading gaze.

"Can't we just… can't we just be?" Anni asked softly.

Jasmin didn't answer right away, but wondered what she meant by that. So, did Anni want a relationship break with the exception of sex when she wanted it then? Jasmin thought to herself. Something inside her also told her that she deserved better than that. She needed to be loved for the whole package and not just for her body. Jasmin was sensitive and poured her entire heart into a relationship when she was in one. She knew this about herself and saw it as both a great strength and as a devastating weakness if exploited. She had held back nothing of herself with Anni, and the past month had left her feeling raw and incomplete. She wanted to be strong and make things right with their relationship before they slept together again, but she also desperately wanted to feel Anni's body against hers.

Anni reached over and took Jasmin's hand. Their eyes met again and Anni said earnestly, "I love you." Jasmin sighed and let the words sink in.

"I love you, too," she responded. The pain Jasmin had felt only moments ago was ebbing away as Anni smiled at her answer. They both knew that they were going to have to talk about this at some point, but now no longer felt like the time. They both laughed and grinned at each other, breaking the tension. Anni closed the distance between herself and Jasmin. Jasmin leaned in as well until their foreheads were touching. This time it was Jasmin who initiated the kiss. Their lips touched gently in a sweet kiss before they pulled away slightly for a moment, testing how far the other wanted to take it. They both smiled with a nervous laugh and playfully rubbed their noses together. Neither one had any desire to halt what was happening, and their lips pressed together again. This kiss was not tentative and their breathing deepened, hearts pounding with familiar excitement. After a moment, Jasmin slowed the intensity of the kiss. She brushed her fingers down against Anni's cheek and under her chin, tilting her head up and separating their lips as Jasmin pulled back and smiled. Anni's dark brown eyes were smoldering with desire. For a short time they just looked into each other's eyes as their breathing slowed, both faces flushed from the passion burning between them.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore either, Anni," Jasmin whispered to her lover. "I just want you. Always. And I want you to want all of me, and not just when it's convenient, or only when you are in the mood. I want to find a way for this to work for both of us."

Jasmin's gaze fell to the floor as her voice cracked. She gathered the courage to continue. "Anni, I've never felt for another person what I feel for you. I just can't be halfway in this and halfway out. The break is tearing my heart apart. The last thing I want is for you to feel trapped, but I can't see you everyday and pretend that I don't long to touch you. I miss you, and I can't bear it when you are short with me."

Tears were freely rolling down Jasmin's cheeks now. She knew it was time to give the ultimatum that had been brewing in her mind for weeks, but that she had felt like too much of a coward until now to share. She had grown in the weeks on her own though. She had dealt with Dominik's death, the relationship break, and her career was starting to pick up. Jasmin had spent a great amount of time soul searching and thinking about what was important to her. She felt that she really did deserve better, and she was not going to back down from what she wanted out of life anymore. Not even if it meant losing the person that she loved the most. She found the strength to continue.

"Anni, you need to make a decision. You know how I feel. This break isn't going to work for me any longer. You need to decide if you can accept me as I am, or if we need to end this. I won't be your girlfriend by title when we hardly speak in private. I think love is enough. Baby… tell me what you want."

Jasmin tentatively looked back up into Anni's eyes after a few moments of silence, but she couldn't quite read her expression. Stunned? Impressed? A bit of a cocky smirk, Jasmin decided, like when she had asked for those three words from Anni in the hospital after the Scherf protest. The smirk spread to a dimpled smile as Anni shook her head and sighed.

'"What?" Jasmin asked wiping tears off her face. She smiled in reaction to Anni's expression, but still did not have an answer. Anni's thoughts were racing too. God, she loved this woman and her confidence. It had been several months since she had seen Jasmin this way and had almost forgotten what had drawn her to Jasmin in the first place. This was not the needy person she had felt trapped with. This woman was a force to be reckoned with, and Anni had realized it almost too late. Jasmin was finally standing up for herself and was even willing to give up the person she loved to get the respect she deserved. For a moment, Anni felt like she didn't deserve Jasmin at all.

Did all of the drama over how clingy Jasmin had been stem from Anni's own insecurities about fear of abandonment from those she loved? She had closed that door on her family long ago, and Jasmin was the first to penetrate that layer of her defenses since then. She looked anxiously at Jasmin, wanting to tell her everything that she felt about her, but also that she was scared because she had never loved another person so much. Jasmin had made her feelings clear, and the decision was now up to Anni.

"Jasmin," she started hesitantly. "What I feel for you is more intense than anything else I've ever known. You are THE one. My one. No other woman will ever compare to you. I've known that for a long time now. But I also know me. I can't be tied down. I don't know that I can give you all that you need…"

Anni dropped her gaze and a weight sunk in Jasmin's stomach. Here it comes, she thought. The woman I love is about to end our relationship. I have to be strong. The thought of losing Anni was almost more than she could bear. Just as Jasmin was about to break down, Anni looked back up into her eyes and offered a weak smile. Jasmin could not stop the silent tears that ran down her face as she heard Anni say, "But I'm willing to try."

Jasmin's face lit up as she was now crying and laughing at the same time. She pulled Anni into a crushing embrace, and for a while they just held each other. The break had been hard on both of them. They were both physical people who needed to be touched, and the absence of human contact had been draining. It only made the closeness now all the more enjoyable. They pulled apart and stood face-to-face, holding hands. Neither one spoke for a solid minute, but they did not break eye contact.

"Ich liebe dich," whispered Anni.

"Ich liebe dich," Jasmin answered.

Click Next to read Chapter 2.