Waking up next to her gave me the oddest sensation. It was completely different from anything I had ever felt before. Wrapped around her from behind, I buried my face in her hair taking in the scent of her.

The scent of a woman, the scent of femininity. It was all I could process as all the emotion from the night before came flooding back through the haze of unconsciousness. Pressed against her silk pajamas in my borrowed t shirt and boxers, I took it all in.

The feel of a soft, warm, female body. The body of a woman…I cared deeply about? I couldn't say I was or wasn't in love with her. I had known her for years but to use that phrase was out of character. I did not take those specific words lightly. I did not know Olivia in this context. I loved her as friend, deeply, but as a lover…well we weren't even lovers yet so I couldn't say.

But I was in the bed of another woman. That thought alone caused me to think heavily on my feelings for Olivia. Did I know how to love a woman? Could I please her in any way? Not to mention I didn't know the extent of her feelings. I had made it a general rule to not feel more for someone than they felt for me.

True enough, I had come back to talk to her, to get my friend back. The kiss the night before had been a passionate reaction to the situation. One I certainly did not regret.

"Would you stop thinking so hard back there?" Came a hoarse voice. I kissed her neck and pulled her close.

"Did I wake you?" I asked, cherishing the feel of her body. I never knew holding another woman could be like this.

"No," She said turning around in my arms. Her chocolate brown eyes still hazy from sleep looked deep into mine as if to make sure I was real. "Hi."

I laughed and she joined. I had missed the sound of her laughter and had never noticed how it lit up her eyes. She had a few more lines around her eyes than I remembered. Lines that only stood to make her more beautiful.

"Morning," I said kissing her lips softly.

"I couldn't go too far with that- morning breath." She laughed and held me against her, hugging me close.

"I missed you so much, Liv," I said, because it was all I could think about. How I had missed every little bit of her more than I had even realized.

"I can't believe you're here. Do you know how long I wished for you to come back so that I could tell you how I feel?" The words hit me and I realized I didn't have a reply for her.

"Liv, I…this is so new to me. I don't want to go too fast and ruin anything we have." I tried to explain but I could see the hurt in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" She pulled away and sat up. She ran a hand through her messy hair which only caused it to become more disheveled.

"I've…never been with a woman." I closed my eyes, afraid to see the reaction.

"Wait. What?" she said; her voice disbelieving.

"I've never had a relationship of any kind with a woman." I explained, not looking her in the eye.

"Neither had I till you left."

I looked up at her, confused. "I'm going to sound like an ass for saying this, but I guess I always assumed…"

"You knew I dated guys." She interrupted.

"I guess I thought you were bisexual. And you looked so surprised when I told you I hadn't been with a woman. Hell, you've walked in on some of my dates."

"I guess, I don't know. It goes along with the feelings I had, have, for you. I hoped that you were open to the idea so that I might stand a chance with you. I could pretend that all it would have taken was for me to grow some balls and ask you out and everything would be great because you were at the very least bisexual. I figured you had never said anything, even to me, because of your career." She looked flustered but I understood her reasoning. It was part of the reason I assumed she was bisexual as well.

"So what happened after I left?" I asked, going back to what she had said before. It had struck me as odd.

"You left, for good or so I thought. I wondered if my feelings for you were unique, gender wise, or if there was something else so I started going to lesbian bars." I closed my eyes against her words, jealous that she had been with other women.

"You replaced me." I whispered, hurt.

I was met with a small chuckle that made me open my eyes. Meeting her gaze I was put at ease. "You, Alexandra Cabot, could never be replaced. Tried, failed, and gave up. Yes, I slept with a few women over the last six years. And one horrible mistake of a man. All of those relationships, if you can call them that, taught me two things."

I raised an eyebrow.

"One, I'm done with men." She said matter-of-factly.

I chuckled.

"And two, I don't want women." She stated equally as firm.

"Than what do you want?" Realizing she could have given up on relationships all together.

"You. The whole time the thing that was missing was you." She kissed me suddenly, as if she suddenly realized she finally could. She put her hands on my cheeks and held me to her lips. Pulling away she looked into my eyes. "I want no one else but you. And now that I can finally have you, who I've slept with and my sexuality, none of it matters. Because I've spent the last ten years in love with you and not even knowing it."

"I…" I didn't know how to react. The loss of words was weird for me.

"I'm not expecting you to say it back, Lex. But you need to know; I love you. We'll take things slow, but I've realized this has been ten years in the making and it's finally happening. It's finally our turn to find happiness."

I knew then, because of her words, that I too was madly in love with her.

Sitting in bed in front of her, one of her hands still caressing my cheek, I could feel tears beginning to fall.

"I am so sorry I hurt you." I cried softly and she used a thumb to wipe at a tear.

"Shh…I could have tracked you down if I had wanted to. The fault is mine too."

"I never gave you a reason to track me down."The tears continued to flow and she leaned forward to kiss them away. My face wet and tear stained, she smiled.

"No, you didn't. But so help me God, if you ever disappear again…"

I laughed, choking on my tears.

"I love you." The words slipping before I had a chance to think. I had wanted to first time I said it to be special. I looked into her eyes to gage a reaction.

"Go brush your teeth, there's an extra tooth brush under the sink." She said getting up. I got up as well, hurt by her brush off.

"What?"

"Morning breath, brush your teeth." She grabbed me by the hips and kissed my neck deeply and hard. I couldn't help the loud moan that escaped my lips. She pushed the neck of the t-shirt aside and marked my shoulder, claiming me as her own.

"Because after we brush our teeth, we are going to make out like the two teenagers in love that we are."

I slapped her shoulder but laughed. "Teenagers? Really?"

"Well, I'm more the experienced college student, you're the teenager, I guess."

"I'm pretty sure I won't be fumbling without any idea what to do." I laughed.

"How can you be so sure?" She challenged. She walked in front of me towards her bath room and I grabbed her and spun her back around to face me.

My voice was low and husky when I replied. "Because I've been thinking about what I want to do to you for over six years." I whispered in her ear.

Then I took off as fast as I could towards the bath room, Olivia close behind.