Gail sat across from Tracy pounding down what was at least her fourth glass of water in 15 minutes. Tracy eyed her nervously taking a quick sip from her bottle of beer. "Gail. Is this about Holly?"
And here it was. She knew it was bound to come out of her mouth eventually. She sighed and looked at Tracy.
"What makes you think it has anything to do with her?" Gail snapped back.
Tracy ignored her tone. "Well that is the second time she has called you since we have been here and you have yet to pick up. Plus I talked to Steve." Gail pondered how much she should say. Tracy could tell she needed a moment and let her think.
Just as Gail had decided on telling her it was fine she found herself blurting out "We almost slept together."
Tracy already knew from Steve that there was something, but she was still taken aback to hear those words come blundering out of Gail's mouth. Apparently Gail was surprised she had said it too based on the look on her face at the moment.
"What do you mean you almost slept together?"
Gail knew it was too late to go back and sighed. "Night before last. I was at her place and we, I don't know, we just almost…did…things."
"Okay, well that clears that up."
"I had been staying with her since the shooting and we just sort of started…things…and then they kept going and before I knew it we had no shirts on and…"
Tracy put a hand up stopping Gail. "Okay, that is enough information. So you didn't actually have sex with her then?"
"No!" Gail still wasn't looking at Tracy. Something about her glass of water had captured her attention.
"Okay… so what happened? Did you get into a fight?" Tracy signaled the bartender for another beer. This was going to be a longer conversation that she had anticipated.
Gail finally looked up. "No fight. We just went to sleep and then I woke up yesterday and I just left. I realized where I was and I left and that's when I came into the station and saw you. And then Holly text me about toothbrushes and now she keeps calling. I don't know what to do." Gail folded her arms on the top of the table and pushed her forehead into them.
"Well did you tell her you were leaving or did you just leave?" Tracy asked.
Gail glanced up looking guilty. "Holly is probably worried about you Gail! She is concerned for her friend, who just got shot at, who has friends in the hospital, whose partner was kidnapped, and who now has disappeared from her life suddenly. She probably thinks she messed up and is just worried about you is all."
Gail knew Tracy was making sense. She really should talk to Holly. Holly at least deserved an explanation as to why Gail couldn't talk to her if that made any sense at all. "What do I even say to her? I've been a bit of a bitch you know."
"Bitch to who?" Both women looked up to see Oliver standing by their table.
"Oliver!" Gail shouted, immediately regretting her loudness. She stood from her seat and gave him a hug. Oliver smiled back at the rare sincerity from Gail and took a seat next to Tracy.
"How are you feeling?" Tracy asked smiling.
"I'm doing great actually. Had to get out of the house though. Celery kept making me drink these weird concoctions to help me get better. I'm not unconvinced that I might turn into a newt any minute." Oliver laughed at his own remark. Everyone still found it a little weird that he was dating a witch but the smile on his face was enough for them all to know she really made him happy. The thought of Oliver sitting on a couch while his girlfriend stirred a cauldron made Gail giggle. She really liked Oliver, he was her favorite person to partner with at work, and he had almost become a father figure to her.
Oliver turned his attention to them. "So what did I interrupt then? Is this about Holly?"
"Seriously! Does everybody know about this?" Gail glared at them both.
"Well it was only a little obvious when you both came out of that dark interrogation room the other day." Well that answered the question about if Oliver was referring to Holly or not during his fatherly speech in the car that afternoon.
"Uggh." Gail's head was back on her arms.