"Do the kids know you're here?" She whispered. "No." Lena replied looking up a Stef.
"I think we should keep it that way until tomorrow." Stef said as she patted her face dry, she turned on her heel and left the room.
Brandon was taking the bags of food from the delivery man at the door. "How much do we owe you?" She asked as she walked down the stairs.
"Hey guys, I think it's a good idea to eat where ever you want tonight." Stef said as she pulled food out of bags checking to see what was what.
"Really?" Jesus asked.
"Yes really." Stef said trying to put on her best smile.
"In the living room?" He asked.
"Yes." "Bedroom?" "Yes." "Bathroom?" "Get out of here!" She said playfully smacking him.
All the kids went their separate ways. "Here's some food. I've lost my appetite." She said dropping the bag on the bed beside Lena.
Stef walked over to the bedroom door and locked it. "They don't need to know you're here. They will know something's wrong. I'm taking a shower." Stef said not looking at Lena.
Stef shut and locked the bathroom door as tears started running down her face. She started the shower. Lena couldn't hear her sobbing over the noise. Stef broke down; she sat on the floor trying to catch her breath, trying to calm down. Her whole world had been shattered. How could she do this? Why? She kept asking herself. She never thought for a second that Lena would cheat on her. She felt like her heart was being pulled from her chest. This is what it feels like to have a broken heart? She undressed and got into the shower where she continued to cry.
Lena finally heard the shower stop. Stef had taken an unusually long shower. How can I blame her? She also felt like her heart had been broken into several pieces. What now? She kept asking herself.
"Stef." She whispered. Stef didn't say anything as she crossed the bedroom from the bathroom. She walked over to her dresser, pulled out some clothes then went back to the bathroom shutting the door with a snap.
The door opened again. "Stef." Lena whispered again to a now fully dressed Stef. "Don't talk to me." Stef said as she towel dried her hair. She tossed the towel onto the floor and left the room shutting the door behind her.
"Mom. Mom." Brandon said shaking Stef awake. She had fallen asleep on the couch. "Mom, it's late. Go to bed." He said as she opened her eyes. "Have you been crying?" He asked as she sat up. "What time is it?" She asked rubbing her eyes. "3 in the morning, I was getting something to drink and saw you. Go to bed Mom." He said as he grabbed Stef's hands to help her up.
Stef's heart began to shatter as reality started to settle in. She slowly walked up the stairs.
Lena had fallen asleep. She looked so beautiful. So fragile. Tears trickled down Stef's face as she crossed the room to their bed. She didn't want to be in the same room with her. She was disgusted with her wife. How could she do this? How could she do this to me? To our family? Stef got into the bed. She laid as close to the edge as possible.
Sleep finally found her.
"Lena. Wake up." Stef said in a loud whisper. Lena shot up, sitting up she grabbed her chest and looked around. It took her a moment to collect herself. "The kids are sleeping. We need to talk." Stef said walking away from the bed to sit in the chair close by.
"Stef." Lena whispered.
"How did you get home? How do we do this? Do we leave and pretend I picked you up?" Stef said in a monotone voice.
"I surprised you."
"You sure did." Stef snapped as she ran her hands through her hair.
Lena sat up pulling her knees to her chest. "Stef, I'm sorry."
"Sorry? Sorry Lena? Are you serious?" There was a pause. "You're sorry you slept with someone else? You're sorry you touched someone else Lena?"
"Stef, I know, I don't know what came over me. I've been under so much stress-" Lena was quickly cut off.
"And I haven't? What about me Lena? I have to stay strong for this family, for us, and for you. It's not easy being the strong one Lena. I carry everything that happens around here, I carry it all on my shoulders. But I still stay strong. I still keep myself together. I don't break down. I don't go around pretending to be someone else."
"I don't know how you do it." Lena whispered. "You don't always have to be the strong one." She said trying to lock eyes with Stef. "I know you have a lot of stress and worry also Stef. I'm not strong like you, I feel like I can't handle it sometimes." She said as tears started trickling down her face.
"That's normal Lena." Stef whispered then she got up and sat on the bed in front of Lena. "It's normal to feel that way, but what you did was wrong." She reached out and cupped Lena's face. Blue eyes met brown. "I'll just need time Lena." She said as she stood up, she turned and offered her hand to Lena. "You surprised me early this morning." She said as Lena took her hand, pulling herself up off the bed.
All the kids were very happy to see Lena at the breakfast table. Callie made another pot of coffee for both the Moms. Mariana insisted on making pancakes. Jude, Jesus and Brandon all helped set the table. Lena dodged questions on why she came home so early. She couldn't lie. "I wanted to see Mom. I couldn't be away from her for another minute." She said, looking over at Stef. Stef tried to best to pretend everything was alright. Her smiles came easier as the morning progressed. Things almost seemed normal.