“Shelby, we need to talk..” Toni said, her voice serious.
“What is it, Toni?” Shelby fearfully asked, knowing Toni only adopted this tone for the heaviest of topics.
Toni took Shelby’s hands, and looked at her with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry, Shelby. I never wanted to hurt you. But it’s over.”
Shelby felt like all the air had been knocked out of her body. “Wh-what’s over?” She asked, although she was afraid she knew exactly what Toni meant.
Toni closed her eyes, like she had been hoping not to have to say it out loud, but was forced by Shelby. “You and me. We’re done, Shelby. I’m sorry.”
“No, Toni, no” Shelby pleaded, her eyes immediately welling with tears. “We can’t be. Please, Toni. Is it something I’ve done?”
“No, no,” Toni tried to reassure her. “It’s nothing like that. Honestly, it’s really got nothing to do with you at all..”
Those words provided little comfort to Shelby as her tears began to fall. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe she was losing the love of her life.
“Then what is it?” She demanded, wondering what could possibly be tearing them apart, after seeming so happy and content for so long.
Toni sighed. “The truth is….the truth is I’m in love with someone else. I have been for the longest time. I think…I think I only ended up with you because I couldn’t accept how I felt about her. But I’m done running from it. I’m done running from her. I’m running TO her now.”
“Who??” Shelby demanded in a sob.
Toni sighed. “Baby, why don’t you come in here.”
A brief tread of footsteps, and then the door opened to reveal a familiar brunette.
“Hi, Shelby,” Leah said apologetically.
“Leah??” Shelby responded, incredulously. “Toni, you’re in love with Leah?”
“I know it seems crazy,” Toni said as she walked over to the taller girl, taking her hand. “But if you really think about it, you’ll realize the same thing we did. That we were meant to be together.”
“You…you two barely even speak to each other…” Shelby sputtered out.
“What we have goes deeper than words,” Leah replied, her voice becoming sensual as she began to stroke Toni’s shoulder.
Toni let out a gasp of pleasure at Leah’s touch. “Oh god, Leah. Shelby, I’m sorry, but I can’t keep my arms off her for one second longer.”
Immediately, Toni flung herself at Leah, pulling her head down so she could forcefully make out with her. Leah responded in kind, wrapping her arms around Toni, almost enveloping her, as they began to practically attack one anothers faces.
Shelby felt her heart breaking into a million pieces as she watched the newly joined couple, seemingly oblivious to her existence, let alone her pain, explore one another.
“Baby, I’m gonna climb you like a tree..” Toni moaned between kisses.
“Oh, Toni. My tiny little Toni,” Leah cooed, lifting Toni’s legs up to allow the smaller girl to wrap them around her. “Smack my ass like it’s a dandelion..”
“Take me, Leah,” Toni demanded. “Take me right here, you sexy fucking giraffe.”
This can’t be happening, Shelby thought, as her vision blurred with tears, a small mercy as things she truly did not wish to see were starting to happen. This can’t be happening, she repeated. This can’t be-
Shelby bolted awake in bed.
She looked around. Inspecting every corner. Making sure the modest bedroom was entirely free of Leah Rilkes
She then felt a gentle, reassuring touch on her arm. She looked over to see Toni, her head only slightly off the pillow, reaching out to her.
“Yn ok?” Toni whispered groggily, only barely conscious.
Shelby let out a sigh of relief as she took in her girlfriend. HER girlfriend. Not Leah’s.
“I’m fine, babe,” she assured her. “Just had a nightmare. Go back to sleep.”
Toni gently stroked Shelby’s arm to comfort her before resting her head back on the pillow and letting her eyes shut.
“Hey, Toni?”
“Ya,” Toni weakly replied, almost fully asleep once more.
“Do you like Leah?” Shelby nervously asked.
“Yea, she’s cool,” Toni responded, clearly only one foot out of a dream herself. Still, Shelby couldn’t help but continue.
“But do you ‘like’ like her..”
Suddenly Toni’s eyes opened wide. She lifted her head up once more.
“What?” She asked sharply, her voice far more lucid, as if the outrageousness of the question had fully woken her up.
“Nothing, nothing,” Shelby hastily replied. “Go back to sleep. I love you.”
“I love you,” Toni replied with a sleepy grin, her alertness vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. She gave Shelby’s hand a comforting squeeze before collapsing back onto her pillow.
Shelby sighed and planted a kiss on her already fast asleep girlfriend’s forehead before trying to get back to sleep herself, assured that she was not losing Toni to Leah anytime soon.
Meanwhile, in Toni’s dream…
“Sorry, Toni. The age of Shoni is over. This is the age of Shatin!” Fatin bellowed before pulling Shelby close to her and letting their tongues wrestle…