Sorry for the late update this week, it's a difficult week for me and personal shit always affects my writing -_-

Also, living for instagram now! So excited to see a Strong Medicine post on Rosa's insta! Also, I started a discord chat group for Strong Medicine fans, if you want to join, the link is on my profile :)))

—The Date—

''I slept over at Lu's house, last Friday,'' Andy said. She would be lying if she said she wasn't getting sick of Milo's hotel room, but the bed was comfier than the one she had at home. She was lying down next to Milo, his arm around her as he held her close. She wasn't there for anything more—despite her going through with the abortion she still didn't feel like having sex with Milo, or anyone else for that matter.

The lack of audible response coming from Milo was the only part she had expected. He hadn't stiffened up next to her like she had expected, he didn't hold his breath for a few seconds and then sigh, like he usually did. She rolled onto her stomach so she could actually face him, ''did you hear me?'' She asked, trying not to make it sound like she was provoking him.

After a second he nodded. ''I heard you,'' was his curt response. He looked into her eyes, knowing that she wanted to know what he thought of that. ''Did you and she talk about…'' he tried to find the right words, ''your… arrangement.''

''It's not a business deal,'' Andy said, chuckling at his word-choice. ''And no, we didn't. We didn't talk at all, in fact, just slept.'' Despite the lack of response, which she knew was Milo's default choice; she knew it at least bothered him somewhat. ''I'm not telling you this to upset you, or make you jealous; I just want to be honest with you, like I said I would.''

Milo pulled away from her, hesitating for a second before getting off the bed completely, pacing around the room for a second. ''I want to propose something,'' he said, the look on her face urged him to continue. ''Next Monday I have to go to California for almost a week, for a medical conference,'' he said, knowing that she already knew this, ''and I'm going to be swamped afterwards with surgeries.''

He looked at her, making up his mind on this. ''What do you say you take this month just to see where this thing you and she have is going. You don't have to check-in with me at all, you won't have to tell me what you guys are doing and I won't ask; you just take this time to figure out what you want with her, what you want with me… and then we'll regroup at Christmas.'' He figured throwing in a military term for her in there wouldn't hurt.

Andy hesitated, mulling it over. ''Are you sure about this?'' She asked. Even though they weren't being intimate she still couldn't imagine not getting to see him for almost a whole month. She shared everything with him; and if there was one thing she had been certain about throughout everything that had happened, it was that she wanted to be with him.

''I just feel like it would be best for now,'' Milo said, holding Andy's hands in his own as she sat on the edge of the bed. ''You'll go live it up here, with or without Lu, whatever you want. And I'll go to California, give a lecture, attend some lectures, sleep a lot, and…'' He didn't continue, he hadn't actually made any plans other than that just yet.

''Visit Leslie,'' Andy suggested with a chuckle, referring to her ex-husband. It was the only thing she could think of in California; Milo didn't exactly have a lot of ties to that particular state. Even though she was joking, Milo had actually developed somewhat of a friendship with Leslie before Milo had broken up with her over a year ago.

''Maybe I will,'' Milo said, ''it doesn't matter.'' He got down on his knees in front of her, ''just figure out what it is you want.''

Andy's hands were on Lu's shoulders, softly pushing her up against the wall. Their lips were inches from the others, their eyes staring at each other. Andy wasn't entirely sure how she had ended up here—again. They were talking about a patient, being each other's sounding board as always, and suddenly she just had the urge to kiss her.

Lu looked back and forth between Andy's green eyes, she was tempted to lean forward and press their lips together, but it wasn't what she truly wanted. She had made it abundantly clear to Andy what she wanted, what her conditions were for even attempting to be together in any way. Giving in now—as tempted as she was—it wasn't the deal she had made with herself. She was going to stay away, wait for her feelings to die out and then rebuild their friendship from there.

She had had a plan. A plan that was quickly fading from her memory. She took a deep breath and licked her lips, ''I haven't changed my mind,'' she said, trying to control her breathing. Where before it had looked like Andy was trying to fight the urge to kiss her, she now seemed to back off a little. But just a little. Her hands were still on Lu's shoulders, parts of their bodies still pressed together.

Andy was trying to remember what Lu had said. She had been so caught up in her own mind that Lu's words had failed to register. ''What?'' She asked, trying to refocus her brain, not focusing on Lu's lips as much, not focusing on how she was at the mercy of her hormones.

She had spent the previous Friday night at Lu's house, sleeping curled up next to her. It had only added fuel to the fire, made Lu somehow even more irresistible. The pain from her abortion had ended on Saturday night, though she was still on antibiotics for the infection. She had stayed away from both Lu and Milo—just like she had when she was pregnant—but it was becoming more and more difficult every day.

Milo she didn't really have to see if she didn't want to—although he hadn't left for California yet—, but Lu was right there; they ran into each other dozens of times every single day. They hadn't spoken about Andy coming over, both somewhat avoiding the other.

''I haven't changed my mind,'' Lu repeated, ''I don't want us to just fool around and call it a night. Just because I let you sleep over at my house, just because I'm not pushing you away right now… it doesn't mean I changed my mind about that.''

Andy nodded slowly. Lu slipped away from beneath Andy's hands and walked to behind her desk, trying to create some kind of distance between them. It made it easier to breathe, to think clearly. Andy put her hand on the door handle, doubting between straight up leaving and forcing out the words that she wanted to say badly.

''What're you doing Friday evening?'' Andy asked, pushing the door handle down, her hand shaking just the tiniest bit.

Lu looked up from the mess of patient files in front of her on her desk, trying to gather her thoughts. A frown crossed her face, ''nothing, far as I know.'' She sat down, going over her schedule of the week in her head. Jonas might come home at the end of the week, but she wasn't sure.

''Okay. Friday night, we'll go out for dinner… I'll pick you up at 8.''

She'd be lying if she said it wasn't awkward. Andy had decided to take Lu to a small diner downtown, knowing that Lu would feel more comfortable there than in the kind of restaurants she and Milo frequented. It wasn't as if they didn't have anything to say to each other—it was actually the exact opposite, there was so much that neither of them really knew where to begin.

''So… what about Jonas?'' Andy asked, finally looking up from her plate, back at the brown eyes in front of her. It was a question that had been plaguing her for a while now and there seemed to be no better time than the present to ask it.

''I don't think he's coming back until Sunday,'' Lu said between bites. She wasn't sure what to make of this night—she had simply thrown on the dress she usually wore on first dates and decided to go with whatever happened. She had left her engagement ring home; she didn't think Andy would mind that.

Andy shook her head, ''no, I mean, if we were to be together then how would he fit into that equation?''

''He wouldn't,'' Lu said. She had thought about this a lot, and this was the only logical conclusion. She couldn't imagine breaking it off with him, but even less so she couldn't imagine staying with him. Not forever. It had taken her a long time to fall in love with him, but she had fallen hard. It had taken her equally as long to fall out of love with him. It had been a gradual process, set in motion by him pulling away after she told him about what she and Andy had done after their first time together.

He had become increasingly distant and—even though she knew his job was very demanding and he worked very hard to built his company—he spent more time at the office than he had to. He spent more time away on business trip than necessary.

Their relationship had never quite recovered, and Lu couldn't imagine that ever changing.

Lu could see the slight confusion on Andy's face. Even though they did discuss their relationships from time to time, Lu had never really brought up just how often Jonas was away from home. She said as much, ''and I don't want to spend the rest of my life married to a man who is never there,'' she added. She reached across the table to Andy's hand, ''if you're serious about this, and Milo is too, then… I've made my decision.''

''I can't ask you to do that,'' Andy said. She wasn't sure what she had expected Lu to say but she knew it wasn't this.

''You're not asking me.'' Lu reminded her. She didn't know what to make of Andy's face in that moment, ''what's the problem?''

Andy almost stuttered, ''I just feel like you would be giving up a lot,'' she said. She could see Lu wasn't particularly worried about it. ''Getting married, having kids… not to mention him, as a person…'' It was left unspoken but they both knew that his money had also been taken into consideration.

''You know I don't care about his money.'' Andy couldn't argue with that. ''As for kids, I have Marc. Look, Andy… I lived my life for 34 years without him, and I have no problem living the rest of my life without him.'' She could see Andy still had doubts. ''The whole picket fence thing, married with two-and-a-half kids… I've never fit that mold and lately I've been thinking that maybe it's just not for me. And I'm okay with that.''

Andy stared at Lu. The reason why it had been so difficult to admit her romantic feelings for Lu was exactly because the 'white picket fence, married with two-and-a-half kids' had always been her ideal. It was what her parents had modeled to her and it is what she had tried to hold onto up until the moment her marriage to Les crumbled. She had internalized that ideal, and to hear Lu just wave it away like this…

''Point is, I want to see where this is going,'' Lu said, referring to their relationship. ''I know it doesn't exactly fit societal standards, and it isn't what either of us imagined our life to be like, but I have feelings for you and I want to be with you. I want to give this a real shot.''

Andy didn't know where she'd be twenty-five years from now, but she knew that if she didn't take this chance she'd regret it forever. And why wouldn't she take this chance? It sounded like Milo was opening up to the idea, and it was giving her hope that all the other worries she had had about pursuing this relationship would prove to be unfounded as well.

With a smile she squeezed Lu's hand, ''okay.''

They didn't discuss the relationship any further. Lu's house was closer and Marc had announced earlier that day that he'd be gone for the weekend, and that was all they had needed to know.

Closing the door behind her, Andy could feel butterflies in her stomach. It had been a while since they had done this, and she had never felt particularly confident in her skills when it came to having sex with Lu. She knew how to make Milo putty in her hands, but Lu was a different story.

Lu flicked the light switch, illuminating the hallway and she slipped out of her coat. ''Do you want something to drink?'' She asked. She was well aware that Andy liked to talk things over, and for her Lu was perfectly willing to do just that. She turned to her and immediately recognized the look Andy had on her face.

With just a few steps she closed the distance between them, lips crashing into each other as Andy's back hit the front door. Some soft moans came from Andy and they were like music to Lu's ears. Her hands somehow landed in Andy's hair and only moved down from there, caressing every piece of bare skin she came across. She grabbed the hem of Andy's dress, dipping her hand under it and into Andy's panties. The slickness of it covered her hand, but she wasn't complaining. She circled Andy's clit only a few times before withdrawing her hand—raising her thigh up to between Andy's legs instead—, just to give her a taste of what they could have, reminding her how good they were at this together.

They both knew that sleeping with each other would greatly influence their perspective on their relationship and whether or not it was working, but neither of them particularly cared. Lu's hands were on Andy's cheeks, she was kissing her deeply as they were pushing back against each other. They had both missed this and it made them all the more eager to hurry on up.

Andy could feel Lu massage her breast, flicking the nipple, and she sucked Lu's bottom lip into her mouth. It felt like Lu's hands were everywhere, and she couldn't think of a better way to spend a Friday evening. She both wanted to hurry up and get to the main—and best—part as quickly as possible, as well as drag it out and show Lu just how much she loved her.

With a lot of effort Andy managed to pull herself away from Lu, feeling like she was addicted and needed to go in for another fix. No matter how much she loved making out with Lu, she was ready to move on. Ready to taste her after what had felt like an eternity. She grabbed the hem of Lu's black dress as she spun them around— Lu's back hitting the door—and she sunk to her knees. She appreciated Lu dressing up, truly she did, and the black lace underwear had been a nice touch, but now she just wanted it all off.

She pulled off the panties, flinging them somewhere behind her without caring where. One of Lu's legs was slung over Andy's shoulder as she dove in. The sour juices were somehow the best thing she had ever had. She flattened her tongue against Lu's clit; applying pressure and setting a rhythm as the memory of exactly what Lu liked came flooding back to her.

It wasn't as if she had ever actually forgotten this. Since their breakup she had had many dreams about doing it, and especially lately she had been daydreaming about exactly this. Having Lu pushed up against the wall, and burying her face under Lu's dress and making her come over and over again with her tongue and fingers.

Her fingers were digging into Lu's thighs as she darted her tongue into Lu, eliciting a moan. Lu wasn't always the most vocal but when she was it was like music to Andy's ears. Knowing that she could make her feel that good made her proud.

She brought her hand up and pushed a finger in, waiting a minute before adding another one. Pumping in and out of her she could feel herself get wetter as well. Now that she could, all she wanted to do was fuck Lu into oblivion. To go up into the bedroom and not come out for a couple of days. Feeling Lu clamp her walls around Andy's fingers, her body arching away from the door, a couple of curses hanging in the air… Andy couldn't believe how much she had missed this.

Lu looked down at Andy on her knees in front of her, she had a fistful of Andy's hair clutched in her hand and it reminded her of how Milo had been in charge when they slept together—or at least he had been the one time Lu had walked in on them.

She pulled Andy back up and dragged her up the stairs behind her. They used to always go into the guestroom—Lu had always felt more comfortable with that—but now that Marc was staying in there it wasn't an option anymore, and she didn't care that much about her and Jonas' bed anymore that she wouldn't use it in a situation like this.

Lu pushed Andy backwards onto the bed before straddling her. She looked down at the woman under her, not believing her luck that this was finally happening. She pushed Andy's hair away from her face, softly stroking her cheek and just taking a moment to make sure she'd never forget this.

''Are you okay?'' Andy asked, reaching up to Lu.

Lu pushed Andy's hand away, determined to at least be somewhat in charge. She lifted her dress over her head and tossed it to the side before looking back at Andy, trying to figure out what approach she should take. She reached behind her to undo her bra clasp and let it fall down her arms and flinging it across the room.

It took a few seconds for Andy to realize she was staring. She had dealt with plenty of sexist men in her day—the army was full of them—and had never quite gotten why you would stare at a woman's chest. What could possibly be so amazing about boobs? But in this moment, she suddenly got it.

Lu scooted up Andy's body before turning around—facing away from Andy—and straddling her face.

Andy could feel Lu's juices dripping down into her mouth, and it made her mouth water all the more. She put her arms around Lu's thighs—holding her in place—and her hands landed on Lu's ass. The round cheeks filled her hands. She sucked Lu's swollen clit into her mouth, feeling her partner almost jump off when she lightly grazed it with her teeth.

Andy lapped up all of Lu's juices, alternating between licking and sucking and quickly finding a good balance between the two.

She could feel Lu's hands on her boobs, playing with the nipples through the fabric of her dress and bra. She pushed her chest up against Lu's hands, wishing she had taken her dress off before getting onto the bed. Andy had known this had been a possibility for tonight, and had prepared well. She had taken a long shower, shaved all the hair that needed shaving and trimmed her curls. She had worn the red dress that looked so good on her that Milo had more than once torn it off of her.

She had been excited to get into that dress—hoping that it would do to Lu what it had done to Milo—she mostly just wanted to get out of it.

The garment didn't seem to stop Lu though. She pushed up Andy's dress, her eyes falling on the moist cotton panties Andy was wearing. That was a good sign. She palmed Andy through her panties, needing her focus so as to not lose her balance as she could feel her orgasm approaching.

Lu's legs were shaking, moans falling out of her mouth. The whole room went black for a second and all she could think about was getting Andy to that same place as quickly as possible. She was still riding her orgasm as she pushed Andy's panties down to her knees and dove in headfirst. She was copying Andy's movements; mindless repetition seemed easier than figuring out a pattern herself.

She could hear Andy moan, feelings her lips vibrate against her clit and it almost send her over the edge again. She could feel Andy's leg already shaking and was glad for how quickly Andy seemed to be able to reach orgasm. It made her want to keep her in bed all weekend and try to see to how many they could get; in that moment reminding herself of Milo. That seemed like something he would be up for as well.

Andy's head was spinning. All she wanted to do was to get Lu to the edge again, but her mind was getting foggy. She was trying to control her breathing, attempting to focus more on Lu than her own orgasm.

Downstairs she could hear the front door open, but it barely registered. She was moaning against Lu's centre and could feel Lu's thighs shaking. Andy's hand dropped to her side, gripping the sheet tightly until her knuckles turned white, she was so close but could feel something holding her back.

Her mind went completely blank, she was so close to cumming she could almost taste it and she couldn't help but shut her eyes and try to force herself over the edge—failing miserably. It wasn't long before she gave up, deciding she'd much rather focus on Lu for once. As she did the memory of what she had heard came back to her, and she wasn't too surprised when she opened her eyes only to see Jonas standing in the doorway.