The Sunny Chronicles: Chapter Thirty-Three

Maggie looks at Bianca with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "I'm sorry," she laughs, smacking her ear with the heel of her hand. "I must be losing my hearing. I thought I just heard you say that you and Babe slept together last night."

Bianca folds her hands out in front of her and bites at her bottom lip. "I did."

"But … you mean, like, actual sleeping, right? Not …"

"Maggie," Bianca interrupts. "We had sex."

"That's not possible," she says. "You must have just dreamt it or something."

"No," insists Bianca. "It wasn't a dream. I'm sorry. I wish I could take it back, I really do. But it happened, and I can't change that now."

"But … how? I don't understand."

"I got drunk," she explains. "Really, really drunk. And Babe and I … we made a mistake. That's all. It was just a mistake."

"And, how drunk was Babe when you two made this … mistake?" questions Maggie.

"I'm not sure really," admits Bianca. "Obviously not as drunk as me. At least she remembers doing it."

"Wh … What?" stammers Maggie, blinking her eyes open wide. "You don't remember having sex?"

"Not exactly," Bianca says. "Although, I do have that next morning feeling …"

"Ugh, no," complains Maggie, making a yuck face. "I don't want to hear about any feelings."

"I'm sorry," she says with sincerity. "Look, I'm telling you this because I don't want to lie to you, Maggie, ever. Not because I want to hurt you … or disgust you."

"I just don't get it. How can you not remember anything?"

"I told you, I was totally drunk."

"Yeah, but … why would Babe do this? She's married, for Christ's sake!"

"Not for long," Bianca tells her.

"Bianca, what are you not telling me?"

Again, Bianca clamps down on her bottom lip. "This morning, when Babe told me what had happened, she also told me that she had fallen in love with me."

"What?"

"She's divorcing J.R. Not because of me, just because it's over between them," she further explains.

"She in love with you?!" Maggie exclaims. "What, is she serious?"

"Maggie, I realize this is kind of a shock, but …"

"A shock?" she says. "Bianca, she's been after me for weeks to tell you that I'm in love with you. She practically pushed me onto the dance floor last night to separate you and Sunny!"

"Well, maybe part of her realizes who I should really be with. Maybe that was just her trying to do the right thing," suggests Bianca.

"Please! She wouldn't know the right thing if it hit her in the head like a brick!"

"Maggie …"

"Oh, come on, Bianca. Don't go all Pollyanna on me now," Maggie pleads. "First she neglects to tell you that Bess is Miranda for MONTHS …"

"We settled that. She gave her back willingly."

"How sweet of her," she says, rolling her eyes. "And now this? Man, I should have seen this coming. What is wrong with my instincts? I knew she was acting way too nice."

"Maggie, don't take this out on Babe. I was the one who drank too much…"

"Which is probably exactly what she was counting on! After all, you never would have done it had you been sober … right?"

"Right," she quickly agrees. "But … Babe is obviously just feeling lonely. I don't think she's thinking straight."

"You can say that again."

"I feel sorry for her, Maggie. She seems so sad inside."

"Bianca, you are so sweet," says Maggie. "But, can't you see what Babe did here? She took advantage of you. My God, Bianca … she practically …"

"Don't say it," Bianca warns, her chin jutting out defensively. "Don't even go there. Her intentions were never even close to that."

"Oh? And what were her intentions, Bianca? Was she just conveniently waiting around for you when you stormed out of that bathroom at the party? Where did she take you? Someplace romantic? Someplace where you wouldn't be disturbed?"

"We went to the cabin. The one we both gave birth in."

"Oh, that's just perfect!" she laughs. "Romance and memories!"

"She said she bought it so that Miranda and Lil' A could go there someday … so that we could tell them together all about their amazing entrance into this world."

Maggie stands up from the table abruptly. "She bought it? Really? Did she buy the alcohol too?"

"Maggie …"

"Well, did she?"

"It was already there. She …"

"Bianca, come on!" she begs. "Can't you see? She sat the whole evening up!"

"Maybe," she finally admits. "Maybe she did. But, it doesn't matter. Maggie, there's more to this story."

"Great," she sighs. "Can't wait to hear more."

"I don't have any feelings for Babe."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better about what she did to you?"

"Can you forget about Babe for one second? Please?"

"I'd love to," Maggie says. "Do you have a device that will erase my memory of this whole conversation? 'Cause, that's what it's gonna take."

"Maggie," Bianca starts with a laugh. "Whatever you think about Babe, it doesn't matter. Babe and I are just friends. She knows that now, and she's fine with it. In fact, she kind of encouraged me to tell you the truth."

"Probably because she knew you'd be able to talk me out of killing her later."

"I'm not talking about what happened between Babe and I," Bianca explains. "I'm talking about us, Maggie … about how I feel about you."

Maggie's face softens a little, and she takes her seat back at the table. "How do you feel about me?"

"Do you have to ask after all of this?" Bianca says. "Isn't it obvious how horrible I feel about what I did with Babe?"

"Well, of course you feel horrible," Maggie tells her. "She tricked you."

"Maggie, that's not why I feel horrible," she explains. "I feel horrible because … well, she wasn't you."

"You mean …"

"I mean, I don't want to be with anyone else but you," she says. "It made me feel like I had somehow cheated on you when I discovered what had happened last night. Especially when …" Bianca trails off, running a hand through her hair with a sigh.

"Especially when what?" Maggie asks. "We've gone this far. Don't stop now."

"Babe told me that I called out your name while we were making love," she finally says. "She thinks I may have thought that she was you … being as drunk as I was."

"What? But, how could she …"

"Go through with it?" Bianca finishes for her. "I realize that it makes her seem a little desperate. But, Maggie, she feels terrible about this whole thing. Please … try and forgive Babe, for me, okay? For us. Because, you and I are all that matter now. If we can only get through this … if you can somehow forgive me …"

"Forgive you? Bianca, did you actually think I wouldn't? After everything I said to you at the party?"

"I've been a fool, Maggie," says Bianca, taking Maggie's trembling hands in her own. "I ran away from you last night out of fear. I was a total coward."

"Why would you be afraid of me?"

Bianca laughs. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of losing you."

"Why would you lose me? I would think by now it would be obvious that I'm not going anywhere."

"You have to know what I mean," Bianca says with a knowing smile. "You were afraid too, weren't you? Isn't that the reason it took you so long to tell me how you feel?"

"Well, yeah … I didn't want to get rejected," she tells her. "Or, worse yet …"

"Ruin our friendship?"

"Yeah … Bianca, you're not just the person I'm in love with. You're the best friend I've ever had."

Bianca squeezes her hands. "And you're mine," she says. "The truth is, Maggie, I have always wanted you to feel this way. I just never thought it was possible."

"So, now that I do," Maggie begins apprehensively. "Feel this way, I mean … Where does that leave us?"

"I hope at the beginning," says Bianca. "The beginning of something new and wild and beautiful … maybe even the beginning of forever, if you're up to it."

Maggie's eyes well up with tears of joy. "Well, I guess that just leaves me with one last thing to do," she tells Bianca.

"Hmm? What's that?"

Maggie gives her hands a playful tug and says, "Come here."

Bianca leans in, looking a little nervous, and closes her eyes. Maggie gives her a soft but passionate kiss, and Bianca surprises her by returning it with intensity. Then, Amber enters the kitchen behind them, only to start backing out again immediately.

"Well, I guess this means a happy ending is in the works," she says. "Sorry to interrupt. I'll just finish getting ready."

"No, it's okay," Bianca tells her with a nervous laugh, her cheeks flushed with modesty. "I was just getting ready to leave."

"What?" Maggie asks, with a little bit of whine to her voice. "But, you just got home."

Bianca lets go of her hands, however unwillingly. She runs a hand through her hair and gives Maggie a smile that is both loving and regretful. "I've just got to go to Uncle Jack's and pick up Miranda. I know it's only been one night, but it feels like a lot longer. I'm missing her so bad."

"I understand," Maggie says. "Go. I'll be right here waiting for you."

Leaning over, Bianca gives her a kiss goodbye, then turns to leave. She stops in front of Amber and gives her a gracious smile. "It was nice to meet you. I'm sorry your trip didn't turn out the way you had expected."

"Nothing ever does," Amber replies with a good-natured smile.

Bianca nods in agreement and says, "Be careful on the way home, Amber. And, don't feel like you have to be a stranger. You can call us anytime." She pauses a moment and looks back at Maggie one last time. "Maggie and I … we can never have too many friends."

"I'll remember that," says Amber. "Thank you."

Bianca gives a nod and pushes the door open, disappearing into the living room. Amber smiles at Maggie with one eyebrow raised and takes the vacant seat beside her. She's put Bianca's pajamas back on temporarily and has her wet hair up in a towel. "I guess congratulations are in order," she says.

Maggie's smile shines like an aura, surrounding her and filling the whole room. "I don't know what to say," she admits. "It feels like I just woke up from the best dream ever, and if I say anything, it might jinx it."

Amber laughs. "Well, I know I wasn't dreaming when I found you two kissing, so you can relax. It's real. Now, tell me everything so that I can leave Pine Valley with at least a little hope."

Maggie sighs. "It was crazy … But, I think things are finally working out … for both of us."

"Good. I'm happy for you," Amber says with a smile. "For both of you."

"But … there's something still bothering me," Maggie acknowledges. "And, I'm not even sure what it is."

"Forget about it," Amber advises. "Whatever it is, just … put it out of your mind. I saw the way Bianca looked at you. Believe me, the girl's made up her mind."