Hey again! New chapter, and a kinda long one to compensate for the delay LOL
I'm a lot into music (in case you haven't noticed), so a lot of times, what I write was probably inspired by a song, like other chapters I've written, and this is another.
The inspiration for this chapter came from the song Only You by Matthew ferryman Jones, in case you wanna listen to it.
Enjoy the chapter!
NO FILTER
.
How can I forget you
When memories come and go
You're all I've ever wanted
You're all I've ever known
.
Lea wasn't a fitness guru or anything like that; she ate whatever she wanted when she wanted and wasn't big on going to the gym or exercising somewhere else everyday, but the mental calmness that jogging, biking, or doing yoga, every other day of the week gave her, was something she enjoyed. It would calm her if she was stressed and give her energy, if for some reason she was feeling low on it. She'd mainly do it on her own though, every now and then Jake would join her if he had time in the morning and, on very rare occasions, Shaun would go for a walk with her before heading to work, but lately he had been too busy, not only with work but paying attention to his new relationship. It was like 80% of his attention was focused on medicine and the other 20% on his girlfriend, or something like that. Lea understood that and respected it but she somehow missed him, as well as she missed her other friend, Sarah, but she was happy for Shaun.
While her relationship with Jake was going well, Shaun's relationship with Carly was apparently being more complicated for him than he had anticipated. Starting with the fact that he wanted to be in control of almost everything and that had ruined their first date, but there were other things, too.
"Carly wants to hold hands" He said, sitting on a stool by the kitchen bar, as she entered the door after going for a run.
"Good morning to you too, Shaun" She chuckled.
"Good morning. Carly wants to hold hands but I don't like it, it makes me uncomfortable"
"Oh?" She arched a brow in surprise "Has it always bothered you when someone holds your hand?" She wondered out loud, because he never seemed to have a problem whenever she held his hand.
He thought about it for a second then replied "It's different, Carly's my girlfriend, you're my friend"
Lea looked up at the ceiling wondering how that made sense, then blinked a couple times "Okay… Maybe she just wants to feel connected"
"I don't get it"
"Okay" She sighed and moved to sit on another stool.
"You stink" He scrunched his nose ad she chuckled.
"I just got back from running, Shaun… Now, back to Carly… Hand holding is something couples do to feel connected, to let the other know you're there, let you know they got you, or stuff like that. It lets the world know you're together if done in public, that's why it's called PDA, Public Displays of Affection"
"Why would you want to do it in private? I know she's there, right next to me, I don't need to hold her hand to know she's there…"
"It's more than a logical thing… sometimes you just reach for your partner's hand for comfort… But if you don't like it, you should tell her"
"I did, but Dr. Park said it's going to bother her for the rest of our relationship which may not be very long"
"Hmm… Maybe you just need some more getting used to her. I mean, you've just started dating, you're still learning about each other. How are the dates going, by the way?"
"Better, we took a walk to a deli the other day, we ate some food and talked" He nodded "But Claire says I shouldn't ask too many questions early on, specially intense ones. But I don't see a problem with that and I think Carly was comfortable answering all my questions" He shrugged.
"First dates can be awkward, but then you get the hang of it, you get used to each other and the fun starts…" She nodded slightly and suddenly her eyes widened, bounced a bit on her seat and grinned "I have an idea! How about a double date? We can all get to know each other, it could be less awkward for you and Carly, Jake could make dinner. It could be fun!"
Shaun contemplated the idea for a minute then smiled and nodded, sharing the excitement "Okay, I will tell Carly"
Lea let out an excited laugh and got up from her seat "And I will tell Jake! But first I need a shower" She grinned and walked away to her bedroom to get some clothes then headed to the bathroom while Shaun texted Carly.
.
I can start it over
And find somebody new
A beautiful distraction
Just a hand to hold on to
.
Days later, double date night arrived. Jake and Lea went to the grocery store to get what then needed to make pasta; because she told him that Shaun likes Italian food and it would be best to cook that so he'd be more comfortable. However, Jake made sure to take over the kitchen and barely let Lea do anything.
"Nah-ah, this is my zone right now, you can just help chopping or something, but that's it" He said when Lea reached to stir the content of one of the pans on the stove and he pushed her hand away, then she laughed.
"I can cook a damn good pasta, too, Jake!"
"You asked me to be the chef tonight and that's what I'm doing!"
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Shaun? Everything's almost ready, what time are you picking Carly?"
"Now" He said coming out of his bedroom and walking to the front door, then he just left, making Lea laugh softly to herself.
"Well, since you don't want me to help here, I'm gonna go get ready"
"I thought you were ready… You look good already!"
"I'm just gonna go touch up" She grinned, headed to her bedroom and Jake rolled his eyes.
"Girls…" He muttered and continued cooking.
Though Carly was unsure about a double date with Lea and Jake being a good idea, she wanted Shaun to be comfortable and have a nice time for once, thinking maybe having a friend around would make him open up some more. She was aware of who Lea was and about their her past together, because he had been totally honest with her from the beginning, and due to that, trusted him when he told her that Lea and him were just friend and roomies. But she sort of held a grudge over Lea, just like many others, because she also thought Lea had toyed with Shaun in the past, but she was Shaun's friend and she had to respect that.
When Shaun and Carly arrived at the apartment, Shaun introduced her to Lea and Jake for the first time, then he gave her a quick tour of the apartment, showing her some things and talking about them to her, his journals, among other things, and a couple random pictures of him and Lea that were on the shelves; like the one Lea once showed to her friend Sarah, of them with Hubert the fish, next to a picture of him and his brother.
Meanwhile, Lea chatted some with Jake and poured glasses of wine as he served the pasta, and eventually everyone sat at the table to eat and chat, but were quickly left in awkward silence when they momentarily ran out of things to talk about.
"So, how's the pasta?" Jake asked, glancing at everyone.
"It's really good" Carly answered with a small nod before drinking some wine.
"It's okay" Shaun said. Carly's eyes widened turning her head to look at him and he reached for a piece of bread. "I like Lea's better"
Lea gasped amusedly then laughed and Jake's mouth dropped open dramatically, arching up his eyebrows playfully.
"Wow. You just hurt my feelings, dude" Jake said with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry. It's just my opinion" Shaun shrugged and took a bite of his bread.
Lea laughed again "I told you I can make a good pasta, too! I'm half Italian!"
Shaun nodded in agreement "Her nonna taught her well"
"Yes, Shaun!" Lea exclaimed grinning at him "He knows what's good. I cook it the traditional way, with just the eggs and the guanciale, you went for the American-or-whatever way"
Jake rolled his eyes amused "She's not gonna stop rubbing this on me from now on…" He said shaking his head, and Carly chuckled. "But it's okay. To be honest, Italian isn't my specialty, I'm more of a Latin food kinda chef. I would say Mexican is my specialty, but all Latin food is great. Maybe next time, if we do this again, I could cook some of that. We could enjoy it with a good bottle of tequila and…"
"No, no thank you" Shaun interrupted him, shaking his head "Tequila makes me vomit, Lea knows it. We drank tequila the night…"
"Shaun…" Lea's eyes widened and quickly looked at him, knowing what he was about to say, and couldn't believe it. She tried to stop him, but failed.
She had completely forgotten about his no-filter ways and definitely did not think it would happen that night. Big mistake.
"…we kissed, and then I puked" He finished with an innocent nod.
Lea pressed her lips together, blushed and stared down at her plate for a moment, sighing, as the room was left in awkward silence again. Her good deed, trying to help her friend to have a nice date with his girlfriend, had backfired.
Jake, in shock but trying to hide it and be a decent human being, glanced between Lea, Shaun and Carly. He had no idea about that part in Shaun and Lea's past, all he knew was that they were very good friends.
Carly chugged down on her wine and Shaun looked at everyone wondering what was going on.
"But that was years ago, right Shaun?" Lea said, trying to recover from the awkwardness of the moment, then drank her wine too, and poured more on her's and Carly's glasses.
"Yes" Shaun said and nodded again, thinking whatever had happened may not have been as bad after all. "We're just friends now" He added.
Jake was out of words for a while, processing everything, and Lea reached to reassuringly stroke his thigh under the table.
"Dr. Glassman and Debbie are getting married" Shaun blurted out.
"What?! That's awesome! Maybe I can be the flower girl" She joked. Thank fun that Shaun had, aware or not, broken the awkward silence they were under again.
"Glassman said he does't want to make a big fuss of it. It will be a quick and small thing at City Hall, because they're not kids anymore" Shaun said and Lea rolled her eyes.
They kept chatting and eating until Carly said it was time for her to go. Shaun took his girlfriend home, and in the mean time, Jake had a small chat with Lea about Shaun's inopportune tales about their past.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She shrugged one of her shoulders and sighed "It was like 2 years ago. I didn't think it would matter now, or that it was important to talk about with you. I don't go telling every guy I date about the other guys I've kissed"
"Why didn't it turn into more back then?"
"Because I left town for months and then…" She shrugged again and sighed as she quickly remembered what happened when she returned from Hershey, but didn't wanting to explain anything to Jake "…that's it."
"Do you still have feelings for him?" He asked as they stood by the door.
"No, Jake, he said it, we're just friends, and that's the truth. I'm with you and he has a girlfriend. Between Shaun and I, there's nothing more than a good friendship. Trust me" She pushed herself up on her tip toes to kiss him but he pulled back shortly after, saying he had to go because he had to be up early the next day, and she had no option but to let him go, frustrated by the situation.
Jake left and Shaun got back home while Lea was in the kitchen filling the dishwasher.
"We need to talk" She said in a very serious manner and he turned to look at her, concerned by the seriousness in her voice. Lea sighed and added "Shaun… during any date, talking about your exes should be avoided"
Shaun analyzed her words and frowned slightly in confusion "You're not my ex, Lea"
"I…" —Good point— "I know, but still, kinda goes along the same line… Jake didn't know about our past, and your impromptu story-time tonight may have damaged our relationship. I know you're always honest and open with Carly but not everyone is like that with everyone. He was already insecure when about you and then you just blurt out something like that…" She shook her head and sighed.
"Why is he insecure about me?"
"Not the point right now, Shaun…" She replied, finished filling the dishwasher, then walked past him to her bedroom and closed the door.
She was mad because part of her actually wanted things with Jake to work, but their relationship didn't last that long after that night. But, was Shaun's inopportune comment the one to be blamed for the failure of Jake and Lea's relationship, though? Truth is, there were several things that led to the end of their relationship, and the little chat they had about her and Shaun's past had only been the beginning of the end.
Jake had apparently left Lea and Shaun's past behind, where it belonged, so they could focus on the present. But rather than focusing on THEIR present, Lea was focusing, or at least putting a bit too much focus on someone else's.
Too many mentions about Shaun and his relationship with Carly. Not that Lea was interfering in their relationship unsolicited, Shaun was usually the one asking for her advice, and as his friend, she just wanted to help. But it was like Lea sometimes had nothing else to talk about, not only with Jake but with Sarah too, and sometimes Jake had to be present during Lea's phone calls with her other friend. All product of Lea's amazement, curiosity, or whatever, at the fact that she hadn't thought how inexperienced Shaun was in matters of love.
Lea only knew what she had read about the kind of things people on the spectrum often struggle with when they are in a romantic relationship, but she didn't know which of those things would Shaun struggle with or not, nor to what extent; she gradually learned as he told her.
Shaun would talk to her about how Carly liked to touch him while they kissed, but apparently he only liked to touch one thing at a time. He would talk about his concern over Carly not considering him her boyfriend, because she didn't invite him to her get-together with friends. Lea helped him be a good boyfriend by telling him he had to answer Carly's texts even if they weren't question's, because she just wanted to know he missed her too, or something. He talked to her about how he struggled laying down in bed with Carly because his heart would race, his mouth got dry and his palms would get sweaty. And then, one day, he mentioned he wanted to have sex with Carly.
One would think: How could that have affected her relationship with Jake? Well, that night, Shaun didn't get back home; he texted Lea to let her know he would be staying at Carly's, and she automatically assumed he would be having sex with her, due to their previous talks about him wanting to give the next step in their relationship.
—
So there was Lea with Jake, the apartment all to themselves, they had eaten a delicious dinner and then one thing led to another. They were in her bedroom, she was straddling him as they were kissing, but, during small bits, her mind began to wander somewhere else, making it hard for her to focus on who she was with and what they were doing.
He rolled over to be on top of her, once they were completely naked, and kissed her again. But the more time they spent on foreplay, the more distracted she got, thinking about Shaun and Carly doing the exact same things she was doing with Jake and, at one point, her mind got so lost that in her thoughts, it was no longer Jake and her nor Carly and Shaun, it was HER and Shaun.
And as if she had woken up from a nightmare, she opened her eyes, gasped for air breaking the kiss, and gently pushed Jake back, pressing a hand on his chest, and he arched up a brow.
"I'm sorry, I can't... not tonight" She said to him.
"It's okay, what's wrong? Talk to me"
"Nothing, I'm just..." —Thinking about my best friend having sex with his girlfriend and also imagining myself having sex with him while I'm with you— She thought and moved her hands up to her face to rub it and groaned, then added "There's this thing at work, there's rumors about me getting a promotion, but only if the program I'm working on works the way it should, and…"
"Oh my god, that's awesome, babe!" He said interrupting her with excitement "No wonder your mind is somewhere else! You have to go work on it right now? It's okay, I get it!"
She smiled at him and nodded, thinking —At least he listens…— Like, okay, she kinda lied to him, that's not what was distracting her, but the whole promotion thing was actually true. Though, when she told Shaun about it, they did their usual thing of talk to me about your life and I will talk to you about mine even though you won't really be listening because you don't exactly care or you have more important things to be thinking about, because that's how most of their conversations used to go, they had improved but they basically regressed, specially since he started dating Carly. So at least, Lea had Sarah and Jake to actually listen to her.
—
It was like Lea was a bit too invested in Shaun and Carly's relationship, without exactly wanting to. She, without hidden intentions, was just trying to help Shaun succeed in his relationship, but Jake didn't see it like that.
Then there was a trip they, along with Glassman, took to Shaun's hometown, to visit his childhood home because his dad was dying. Although said trip wasn't exactly what broke Lea and Jake up, they did talk about it. But it had another kind of impact on Shaun and Carly's relationship, and the dynamic within Shaun and Lea's friendship changed even more, because of what happened on the last night they were in Wyoming.
—
Lea had seen Shaun go through meltdowns but she had never seen him so broken, in their time as friends. His dad really was something, to say the least. The man wanted to see Shaun and talk to him one last time before dying, and, even though Shaun was reluctant at first, he gave his dad the chance to say whatever he had to say, but it didn't end well.
Just when everyone thought his dad might have changed and was actually sorry about how he treated his family, it turned out he had not changed one bit. He was an asshole probably during most of his life and died being one, too.
She knew Shaun must have had a lot of resentment for his parents inside of him, but seeing it come out the way it did, was something else, and his father's last words to him didn't help at all with how Shaun was feeling. Going back to Wyoming to face his past, broke him.
At night she went to his motel room, to check on him, but after he didn't answer the door and hearing noises inside, she let herself in with the spare key that Glassman and her kept in case something happened, and something did happen. She found Shaun sitting on the bed, hitting his head as hard as he could with his hands while also panting.
Lea got on the bed, crawled to him from behind, and tried to stop him from hitting himself however she could, but he was stronger than she could have anticipated, so all she managed to do was wrap her arms around him in a tight hug, and only then, he stopped. She kept hugging him as he leaned down on the mattress; Lea basically played the role of the big spoon while they laid on their sides, then he cried and sobbed unconsolably in her arms until he fell deeply asleep. That was when Lea allowed herself to quietly let out her own emotions, resulting from the shock of seeing one of her best friends so broken. She silently cried against the back of his shoulder, still holding him, afraid to let go and wake him; then she fell asleep as well.
—
And that was all that happened, however, next morning, she suggested to him not to tell anyone about what had happened, because people could take it the wrong way and think something else, to which he agreed, but he couldn't keep the secret to himself for too long.
.
But if you ask me
Would That love be true?
No, I want you
.
Shortly after they got back from Wyoming; somewhere in San Jose, Jake professed his love for Lea. It was the first time he let out the 3 words everyone expects to hear at some point while in a relationship. Not Lea though; subconsciously, she never really expected or wished to hear those words while she was with Jake, which made her realize she wasn't in love with him. Maybe, with more time, she could have fallen for him, but forced things usually don't end well, and she thought it was unfair to him, or anyone, to be with someone who doesn't feel the same for you, so, days later, she let him go.
Jake didn't take it well, though, he thought there was something Lea wasn't telling him.
—
"Something happened in Wyoming, didn't it?" He said looking into her eyes after she told him they should break up.
"What are you talking about?"
"What happened in Wyoming? We were fine, then you come back and it's like you're somebody else. I should've seen it coming though, I felt it deep inside, but I trusted you, and you just…" He shook his head as he let his emotions guide his words without thinking first.
Lea looked at him completely puzzled, then connected the dots and realized what he was implying.
"Jake, nothing happened between me and Shaun"
"I'm not an idiot Lea, it's obvious you have feelings for him, I just didn't think you'd act on them. There were too many signs but I ignored them, because I actually loved you! All you did was talk about him; did you ever think about how that made me feel? Do you ever think about someone other than yourself? I thought you were different! I fell for someone's bullshit again. But you know what? I don't know what I'm most shocked about, my stupidity or you sleeping with someone like him, let alone sleep, FALL for someone like him"
Lea's mouth opened in disbelief as she stared at Jake with wide eyes, then she blinked a couple times "Excuse me?! I can't believe you right now…" Her mouth opened some more, she shook her head and gasped, then added. "You wanna know what happened in Wyoming? I'll tell you what happened, Jake. I went to Wyoming with my best friend to support him, because his asshole dad who abused him, his brother and their mom during their childhood, was dying, but he wanted to talk to his son one last time. Shaun was kind enough to go there and listen to what he had to say, even tried to forgive him for all the crap he did to them" She explained as her eyes began to fill with tears. "And you know what his dad did? Be the same asshole he always had been. And you know what his mom did? Excuse his shitty behavior instead of be on her son's side for once..." She quickly and angrily wiped away a tear from her cheek. "Shaun was shattered, Jake, and all I did was to be there for him, held him while he cried like I've never seen him cry before... And you... I'm here, letting you go because I don't think it's fair to you that I don't feel the same for you, and you accuse me of cheating? In what fucking world, breaking up with you because I think you deserve someone who actually loves you back, is selfish? ...Shaun and I are JUST FRIENDS, but you know what? Whoever falls for someone like him and gets him to love them back, can consider themselves one of the luckiest persons in the world, because THAT guy, is worth a lot, and a lot of times can be WAY more mature than you and I together. So please do yourself a favor and don't EVER compare yourself to someone like him, because if was ever put in a position where I had to choose between someone like him and someone like you, I'd choose him… Have a nice life, Jake Dahlen" She finished and headed out of the commercial space for rent they had gone to visit for Jake's business.
—
Meanwhile, at St. Bonaventure Hospital, Shaun was acting kinda weird around Carly. She sensed he was hiding something, and when Shaun couldn't hide it anymore, he told her about what had happened in Wyoming, and Carly of course didn't take it well, she was hurt.
Lea had no idea that the time Shaun said he was ready to have sex with Carly and went to her place; the same night Lea spent thinking them instead of focusing on her own partner, nothing actually happened between Carly and Shaun. They didn't have sex. They were still struggling with laying down on the same bed and holding hands for a long period of time. That's why for Carly, to hear about her boyfriend and his ex-crush sleeping all night on the same bed and hugging, was hard. It was understandable that she wasn't happy about it. But what she asked Shaun to do afterward, so that she could feel safe or something, in their relationship, was something Lea didn't expect from Carly.
After breaking up with Jake and going home to have a little cry about what was said that day; when Shaun got home, he asked Lea to move out, because apparently Carly basically told him that in order for them to still be boyfriend and girlfriend, he had to stop living with Lea, because there was no way for her to know that something like what had happened in Wyoming wouldn't happen again.
As a woman, Lea, to some extent, understood the way Carly felt about her friendship with Shaun and maybe even about their past. She had heard from Shaun that Carly didn't like it when others interfered in their relationship, but it wasn't like they were deliberately snooping around it, in fact, it was Shaun the one telling everyone almost everything about whatever they did, and not with bad intentions, he'd do it because he was seeking for advice, because he wanted to make her happy, and everyone wanted him to be happy, too. Yet, Carly didn't see it like that and would tell people to back off, so some of them actually stopped helping Shaun, just so he wouldn't have problems with his girlfriend.
And then there she was, asking Shaun to pretty much kick Lea out of their apartment so they could still be together. Was that some sort of ultimatum? Lea didn't know, but it reminded her a lot about back then when her ex, Ben, basically isolated her from her friends and even family.
Of course Carly didn't seem to be like Ben, but Shaun had very short list of friends, why push them away from him when he's experiencing something so new to him like a relationship? Specially since they had only been dating for only a few months, why did she feel she had the right to do that?
Lea didn't like the posture Carly was taking in their relationship and how it was affecting her friendship with Shaun, but at the same time, Lea didn't want to tell him what to do or not, because it wasn't her place, and after what had happened with Jake, she didn't have the energy to argue with Shaun about why she had to move out just to make his girlfriend more comfortable, or why she thought it was somewhat controlling of Carly to have asked for such thing; in fact, all Lea wanted was Shaun to be happy.
So there she was, in just one day, she became single and homeless. Luckily she found another apartment quickly.
.
Can I be happy living with your ghost?
The pictures tell the story
I took them off the wall
.
Even if she wanted him to be happy, it still hurt Lea for sure, like when she mentioned to Shaun that she would miss him and all he said was:
"I love Carly… Now you can hang the toilet paper incorrectly anytime you want. And Carly and I can go back to the way things were before our fight. She asked for you to move out and you are moving out."
The fact that he didn't even argue with Carly about her moving out, and also that when she moved out, she didn't hear from him at all. It was like he just unplugged her from his life and that was it.
She had to text him or call him to know how he was doing, then, one day she managed to get him to go eat lunch with her. She missed him, wanted to see him, hang out with him, and vent about her life, even if it meant just sitting at some restaurant's table to have one of their usual mainly one-way conversations.
.
It's hard enough to get through
I still can feel the fall
Do you even think of me at all?
.
—
"Sorry I'm late" She said as she walked past Shaun to sit on the chair across from him, at the table for two where he was.
"I was going to cancel our lunch"
"Oh, let me guess, Carly or a patient more interesting than your best friend"
"A patient. She has a mysterious condition. But I realized I could use our lunch to help me understand it"
—Right…— She though and nodded as a waitress approached their table.
"I ordered you a salad" He said and the waitress placed the salad in front of Lea, then a small bowl with ice cream in front of Shaun.
"Thank you, but why do I get salad and you get ice cream?" She asked, playfully arching up a brow.
"I was hoping you'd tell me how to get an ice cream headache. I've never had one" He replied as he inspected the ice cream.
"Brain freeze is horrible, why would you want to experience that?"
"The scientific term is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia" —Here we go…— She thought and he continued "The trigeminal nerve reacts to rapid temperature change in the mouth, sending a signal to the brain, which responds with changes in blood flow and dura irritation, which combats what it perceives as a dangerous, noxious stimuli, but it's just ice cream. I need to experience that."
She blinked a few times, like getting out of a trance, once he finished, and replied "Okay… Well, the technique I usually go for is, eat way too much, way too fast" She nodded pressing her lips together.
He started digging into his ice cream and she looked down at her salad, toying around with the croutons in it, while soft music played in the background, combined with the voices of the other customers and the noises the cutlery made against their plates.
"I'm quitting my job…" She blurted after a few minutes, but Shaun focused on eating his ice cream to achieve his goal.
"Didn't you get a promotion recently?"
—Aah, so you do listen… but you ignore it if it's not relevant or interesting to you… hmm—
"Yeah, don't tell Glassy, he already thinks I'm a flake"
"Morgan thinks that, too"
"Well, don't tell her either then… We're not developing anything, we're just market testing designs. And to be honest, I'm in a rut, even in my personal life. I don't like it…"
"Ow! Ow!" He said touching his head as he started to feel the pain from a brain freeze. "It hurts!"
"Do you think I should include my job in Hershey on my resume? Or does it make me look like I'm not able to commit to anything?"
"Ow! What's the cure?" He kept complaining.
"Time" She said, eyed his ice cream and reached to dig in it with her fork.
"Okay" He said and pushed the ice cream bowl toward her.
Once his pain went away, he spoke again "I have something else I thought you'd be able to help me with. I want to give Carly a… parade"
Now Lea was the one focused on eating the ice cream but she rose a brow, confused by his words "What?"
He subtly rolled his eyes frustratedly and leaned forward a bit to speak to her in a softer tone "I want to give Carly an orgasm"
Lea's eyes widened and her cheeks blushed, then she looked around making sure nobody heard him.
"We had sex for the first time, a few days ago, and we've done it more times, but I haven't managed to make her finish" He added, still talking in a soft voice so only she could hear.
—Wait, what?— "I…" She cleared her throat, then drank some water, shocked and confused. "I thought, you two… never mind… Uhm… I don't think you should be telling people about this, specially me. You know how Carly gets when you tell people stuff about your relationship, and this matter is a sensible one. I don't think she'd want ME, of all people, to advice you on it.
"Mmh… When you're with Jake, it sounds like you two have fun, and like you have parades, in plural. Should I ask Jake for advice instead? He must know how to give a woman a parade"
"Shaun… no" She said shaking her head as her eyes widened again. "Jake and I aren't together anymore, and even if we were, I don't think Carly would want him to advice you on such thing either"
"Why?"
"Because, she does't like me, you think she'd want my boyfriend or ex boyfriend to advice you on how to please a woman in bed just because you've heard us and think he's good at it?"
"Why are you two not together anymore?"
"Oh… It just didn't work"
"Did he do something to you?"
"No, Shaun" She shook her head slightly and looked at him a bit puzzled. "He didn't do anything to me"
"Okay… You said I think he's good at it, what did you mean?"
—Crap…— She pressed her lips together —Do I break it to him? Who's going to do it if I don't? Here goes nothing…—
"Well… Not all women have the pleasure to have parades…" —I'm never going to look at parades the same way again— "…all the time, for different reasons. So, sometimes we fake it…" She pressed her lips together again.
"How do I know if she's faking it?"
"I don't think I have an answer for that; you might need to do some research…"
He got lost in thought for a moment before his phone rang. He answered, then he had to go back to the hospital.
—
A day after that, out of the blue, Shaun got her an interview with Glassy the grouch, who apparently was just doing Shaun a favor and wasn't really interested in hiring her, but he actually needed someone like her in the hospital's IT department, because their software was a mess, so he ended up hiring her. She quit her job at the company where she worked and started working at the hospital right away.
She knew working with Glassman was going to be a challenge, because as he had stated, their mutual affection for Shaun wasn't enough to stop them from killing each other, but she would deal with that as best as she could. One of the hardest things of working with him was trying to explain to him all the tech stuff that came with the new software, but at least she got hang out with Shaun some more again since she moved out from their shared apartment.
It turned out that even hanging out with Shaun at the hospital was tricky, not because he was busy most of the time being a doctor, it was because Carly wasn't too happy about Lea working at the hospital. Apparently, even after Shaun had complied to her wishes of kicking Lea out of their apartment, she still had issues with them being friends.
When Carly found out they had lunch the other day, she got mad at Shaun for not telling her, then when she learned Shaun had gotten Lea an interview with Glassman, it made things worse between them, making Lea and Shaun's friendship a bit awkward, because ever since she started working at the hospital, whenever she had the chance to talk to him, she had to basically keep it short and casual, in case Carly showed up, because Lea didn't want to cause any trouble in their relationship. Shaun would say his girlfriend was okay with them being friends because she told him that but it clearly wasn't true.
Then, as time went on, Carly was no longer the only one who thought Lea was conspiring, or something like that, against her relationship with Shaun. Morgan, one of Shaun's colleagues, began to tell him that Lea's body language communicated that she was interested in him and that Carly had every right to be jealous because Lea was indeed a threat. That pissed Lea off.
Morgan didn't know her that well, why was she out there pushing false things into Shaun's head? What was her damn problem? Did she have nothing more important to do other than analyze Shaun's life and those around him? She went as far as to tell him that Lea randomly eating food off his plate every now and then, was equivalent to marking territory by peeing on leg like a dog.
To Lea, it didn't make sense. She was just being herself, trying to keep a healthy platonic friendship with Shaun, but, just like months ago, when she didn't realize she might have been leading him on, before Sarah brought it up, what if she was doing it again?
It started to get to her; that and working with Glassman was stressful, she tried to hide it as best as she could, but then she learned Carly broke up with Shaun… Was it her fault?