21. Right Vs. Wrong

Johanna

T he aroma of chicken teriyaki wafted through the kitchen as Jo hurried to finish before Ali arrived. She didn’t get out of the hospital on time, and she felt like she was constantly rushing, but in the end, it would all be worth it.

When Ali rang the doorbell, Jo was ready to greet her guest. She went to the door and opened it up to find that Ali was at the door with a duffle bag in one hand and a grocery bag in the other. Jo noted the duffel bag first.

“What’s that?” she teased.

“Well, I was thinking if one thing led to another, maybe I’d be sticking around this weekend. I noticed that you and I just happened to be off tomorrow, and so there’s really no rush to go home…” Her words trailed off.

Jo smirked and nodded. She liked the way she thought. She then noted the other bag. “ And that?”

“Dessert, as promised.”

Jo frowned. “When you said dessert, I must confess I had something else in mind.”

Ali winked. “Don’t worry, that is on my mind, too.”

Jo laughed and pulled Ali into the apartment. When the bags were out of her hands, Jo wrapped her arms around Ali’s neck and went in for a kiss. Their relationship was warming up, so she didn’t have any desire to watch Ali leave at the end of the meal.

“Now, that was a greeting,” Ali replied, grinning as they parted from the kiss. She took a whiff and gave a nod. “And that smells delicious.”

“Thank you! Chicken Teriyaki. I hope you enjoy it.” She reached for Ali’s hand and pulled her towards the kitchen, as Ali grabbed for the dessert. “What’s for dessert? Besides you.” She laughed, glancing over her shoulder.

“Strawberry Shortcake. Thought we could put it in the fridge to chill.”

“Sounds delicious.”

Ali opened the refrigerator and slid it inside while Jo went back to her supper. “Before the night is over, I do want to discuss some things that have been on my mind. Just should get it out in the open, and it should resolve some questions you might have, as well.”

Jo frowned. “Sounds serious.” She pulled the food off the stove and put it off to the side before turning back to Ali. “I’m all for conversations that have to be made, but if they’re something that would cause pain to either one of us, I’m not sure I’m prepared for that.”

Ali moved in closer and touched Jo’s arm. “Don’t worry about that. I trust that we’ll get through all these hurdles. It’s just something we have to discuss. No worries. ”

Jo nodded, but the mood had shifted. What if Ali was there, saying she was going to spend the night, but really just did that for show? Ali could easily decide that they needed to go their separate ways, temporarily or on a more permanent basis. It could explain why there was a sudden drop in phone calls and texts. Was she getting too much in her head? Maybe, but these were things that she needed to focus on. She didn’t want all of this to end only because it was hard to sustain.

“Food is ready,” she replied.

She grabbed two plates, loaded up the food on the plates, and then handed one to Ali. They sat them down on the kitchen table before Jo went to the refrigerator to get the wine and grabbed the two glasses. The whole time, her mind was a flutter with what Ali wanted to discuss with her. How she would get through the meal was beyond her.

She took it back to the table and then sat down. “Oh, salt,” she said. She jumped up and grabbed the salter and pepper, then went back to the table.

“Are you thinking about it?” Ali asked.

Jo snickered. “Am I that transparent?”

Ali shrugged. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything until we were done eating. I didn’t want to spoil the meal for us.”

Jo sighed. Maybe she should have, but that wouldn’t have been any better. If she sprung her with a deep conversation, Jo would have considered that Ali was hiding something from her. So, this was probably the best solution for all involved.

“Can you give me a hint?”

Ali smiled. “I’ll tell you this. What I’m going to discuss with you isn’t going to break us. We will get through it. I truly mean that. It’s just…” Her words trailed off, and she looked down at her food and shook her head. “Let’s not worry about that. I don’t want everything to get cold, but I promise you that we’ll ha ve the discussion, and you’ll see that you’re worrying over nothing.”

Jo tilted her head. “Then why can’t you just say it here?”

“It’s not that I can’t. It just seems like more of the conversation that we should have in the living room on a relaxing couch, not in between bites of food.” She reached out and touched Jo’s hand. “You’re cute when you worry, though.”

“Then I must be absolutely adorable.” Jo rolled her eyes as Ali snickered. But then, she decided that waiting for that conversation was necessary because it would only push Ali if she tried to change it, and it wasn’t worth Ali getting annoyed by the situation.

They settled into eating, where the conversation touched on normal aspects of their life. Starting out with Vincent and his meeting with Maverick. “He really looked like he was enjoying himself for that hour,” Ali started.

Jo relaxed and nodded. That was a conversation she could settle on. “May saw the way Vincent interacted with Maverick, and she believes that I should look at getting Maverick put in a program to emotionally support people in hospitals or others who just need something by their side. It is true that Maverick has been a comfort to me. I’m not sure I really want to share him, but seeing how Vincent lit up for that hour makes me question if I’m just being selfish. I want to see others light up in that same fashion.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Ali replied. “But I know you’ll know best.”

Jo smiled, appreciative of those words. “I never really got to properly thank you for getting this to work, even though we had to lie about it, but then it got found out.” Jo shrugged. “Either way, it meant a lot to me that you stepped out and got that done. ”

“It was the right thing to do,” Ali replied. “And that is the perfect segue into what we need to discuss.” Ali looked down at her food, then across the table to Jo’s. “Are you ready for dessert?”

“Depends on what kind,” Jo replied with a laugh. “I’m not really sure the Strawberry Shortcake will be what I need as I’m getting fuller with each bite.”

Ali smirked. “I was kind of feeling the same way. So, let’s finish up what we can of this fabulous meal and then take the wine to the couch. What do you say?”

“You read my mind.”

They ate for another fifteen minutes, chatting about the weather and how the forecast had said there would be a straight week of rain chances, yet they had been dry every day. Luckily, it would have hindered everything if it had rained when they tried to do the courtyard with Vincent.

Jo cleared the dishes as Ali grabbed the bottle of wine and two wine glasses and went into the living room. Jo left the dishes in the sink and followed Ali. Ali was petting Maverick as he rested up against her on the couch. Jo watched it for a moment, relishing how good they looked together, but then jealous that Maverick was getting some quality time.

“Hey, scoot it,” Jo said, rushing him off the couch. She laughed when Ali dropped her mouth open. “Can’t allow him to cozy up to you. Where would I sit?”

Ali reached out and touched her arm, pulling her closer to her so there was no space between them. “Good point.” She stroked Jo’s chin and pulled her to her, kissing her as Jo rested against her, just as Maverick was moments ago.

Jo pulled back and grinned. “Much better than the kitchen table.”

“I’ll say,” Ali replied with a laugh. They both reached out and grabbed their wine glasses, then took a sip before Jo turned to Ali. “So, let me start at the beginning.” Jo didn’t interrupt, but just waited for the conversation to go as Ali wanted. “Last week, Julia confronted me and told me that I’m one of two candidates being considered for the promotion.”

“That’s great news, Ali. I’m so proud of you.” Jo reached out and touched Ali’s hand, but Ali looked more apprehensive in that moment. “It is great news, right?”

“Well, yeah, it’s really good news. It’s what I’ve been striving for, and I couldn’t be happier if I get it.”

“But…” Jo stared at her. If she was so excited, then why did she appear like she wanted to throw up?

“Well, she said that she, along with some of the board members, feel that I’m favoring a certain nurse, and she said that it could look shady if that were to continue.”

“Me?” Jo replied, sitting back against the couch and dropping hold of Ali’s hand.

Ali nodded. “And so, I didn’t know how to process that information.”

“So, you ghosted me for a few days.”

“I wouldn’t call it ghosted,” Ali argued.

Jo tilted her head. “You ignored my calls and texts. You avoided me at the hospital. I felt like something was off, but I guess I didn’t want to admit that there could be something seriously wrong.”

“I didn’t mean to ghost you if that’s how you saw it. I should have said something to you, but then I wasn’t sure how to approach the subject without it looking like I was saying we needed to part ways. And trust me, that has never crossed my mind.”

Jo considered that and got up from the couch. She took a few steps away from her before turning to face Ali. “So, that’s why you said Maverick was May’s dog?”

Ali nodded. “And it would have worked out perfectly, but I really didn’t consider the fact that Vincent wasn’t in the know, and so, of course, he would say something, and unfortunately, Julia heard him. But none of that matters. Today, she pulled me away to sternly remind me how it looked that I was once again playing favoritism.”

“Which would be bad, very bad, because if you’re playing favorites, they won’t give you the promotion because chances are you’re sleeping with the person you’re favoriting.”

“Something like that,” Ali muttered.

Jo covered her face, the words processing through her mind. “I just don’t see how this can continue then. I mean, I’m not going to be the one that causes you to lose everything you have wanted.”

“It’s not everything.” Ali jumped up and hurried around the coffee table to stand before Jo. “I’m happy with what we have, and I’m not about to allow the hospital to tell me that it’s wrong. We will be careful. We have been careful.”

“Not careful enough, apparently.” Jo dropped her gaze, but Ali reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Look at me,” she whispered. Jo looked up into Ali’s serious eyes. “I care about you, Jo. You have to know that.”

“And I care about you. But…” Ali reached up and touched her finger to Jo’s lips. Jo closed her eyes and just focused on the genuine tone in Ali’s voice.

“That’s all we’re going to focus on for right now. Got it?”

Jo opened her eyes and nodded just before Ali’s lips crashed against hers, and Ali pulled her closer to her. Jo grabbed onto the base of Ali’s shirt and pulled it up and over her head, then released the clasp of her bra, ridding her of those two items. She grabbed hold of Ali’s breasts and lifted them up, taking the right nipple into her mouth and sucking softly on it until she drew it into a sharp point. She then turned her attention to the other, doing the same style. Ali massaged the back of Jo’s head, running her fingers through it, while Jo eagerly acknowledged each breast.

Jo pulled from her and moved back to her lips, and they hungrily kissed in the living room for several minutes until they parted and joined hands. They walked down the hall and to Jo’s bedroom, and their lips reconnected on the bed. Ali pushed Jo down on the bed, and Jo watched as Ali continued to undress in front of her. Once Ali was naked, Jo pulled her to her, grabbing hold of Ali’s ass, and Ali thrust her hips to meet Jo’s waiting mouth. Maybe life would continue to throw them curve balls, but as long as they worked together, they would somehow overcome them. She just had to believe that.