“Have you ever been in love?”

The question, from seemingly out of nowhere, so derailed Chaney?s train of thought that she almost choked on the water she?s sipping. It was only with the greatest of difficulty that she managed to force the liquid down the right pipe, and the resulting prolonged silence caused Cat?s cheeks to flush again.

“Sorry. I didn?t mean to pry.”

“You didn?t pry,” Chaney forced out quickly, holding up a hand as she replaced her glass back on the table. “I just?wasn?t expecting the question is all.”

“Oh.” Cat?s voice was very small.

Chaney decided that “matter of fact” was probably the best approach. “Yeah,” she remarked casually, “I did the love thing once or twice. How come?”

Cat?s mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds, and her head dropped, tendrils of fine golden hair hiding her chagrinned features. “It?s?.“she finally managed, “?nothing.”

“Course it?s something, Shortchange,” Chaney replied, reaching over and laying a hand on Cat?s wrist. “You been acting like someone ran over your dog all damn day. So?what is it? I won?t laugh at you or nothing. You know that.” A moment later. “You got girl troubles?”

Cat laughed. It wasn?t a happy sound, but it beat crying, she supposed. Especially in the middle of a crowded restaurant. “You?could say that.”

“What happened?” Chaney?s face went dead serious as she sat up straight in her chair, muscles tense. “Bitch cheat on you?”

Cat looked up, startled. “No! No, not at all.”

“Hit you?”

“No!! No. We, um, we just had a fight, that?s all. You know, yelling, stuff like that.”

Chaney?s face cleared. “A fight? Damn, girl, ain?t no one told you fighting?s good for a relationship?” She leered. “Especially the make-up sex part.”

Blushing to the roots of her hair, Cat buried her flaming face in her hands and groaned.

Squeezing the wrist beneath her hand, Chaney grinned, then sat back in her chair, picking up her glass and finishing her water in one healthy gulp. “This your first serious relationship?” she asked after a time.

Cat looked back up at her, a rosy flush still faintly tinting her cheeks. “First? No. But it was the most serious.”

“Was? You tossing in the towel over a fight?” Chaney shook her head. “Musta been one hell of a row.”

“No. It?.” She sighed. “When you were, you know, with someone, did they ever want to do something that you were totally against? I mean completely?”

“You mean like screw someone else or do something illegal?”

“No. No, not like that. Just?something you didn?t agree with, and something that surprised you because you thought they wouldn?t agree with it either?” She peeked at Chaney. “Am I making any sense here?”

“Yeah, yeah. Hang on, lemme think a minute.” Her face cleared. “I was going out with this dude once, during college. It had been kinda casual for a long time, but then it started getting more serious, ya know? Anyway, it was getting close to spring break, and I was all about getting ready for the tourney and shit. He wasn?t ever into b-ball, which is probably why we got along so well.”

“What happened?” Cat asked.

Chaney shrugged. “I figured he?d do the whole tourney thing, but he told me he?d gotten the deal of a lifetime, to go to Maui with his frat boys and their sister house on spring break.” She chuckled, shaking her head over the memories. “Man, we fought like fuckin? banshees over that, lemme clue you.”

“And then what?”

Chaney shrugged again. “We talked. Worked it out. Both of us had things that we would never get the chance to do again. So we did ?em.”

“We did that,” Cat said.

“What? Talked?”

“Yea! She wouldn?t?she wouldn?t?.” She stopped as her face drained of its color. “Fuck.”

“What?” Chaney asked, startled. “What?s wrong?”

Cat was silent for a few moments, playing the conversation with Dylan over in her head. “Jesus,” she whispered.

“What?” Chaney demanded. “What is it? Damnit, woman, you?re scaring me over here!”

“?You?re not saying anything. Why aren?t you saying anything??”

“What? Cat, we need to get you some help. Quick. You?re going nutzo on me. I?ve been talking to you!”

“No. No. I just remembered. When D?” She stopped herself just in time. “When we had that fight. We weren?t talking. I was talking. Yelling. Screaming. Storming off like some kid who just got told they couldn?t go to the prom. Damnit! How could I have been so damned stupid?!”

“Hey, man,” Chaney said softly, closing her large hand over Cat?s wrist gently. “It?s all cool. If she loves you, she?ll forgive you. Just talk to her.”

“That?s just it.” Cat?s sad gaze met her friend?s. “I don?t know if she loves me.”

“You don?t?”

“No. She?s never said.”

“Oh hell, Shortchange, you need the words? Does she act like she loves you?”

Cat didn?t even need to think about that one. “Yes. She does.”

“Well, there ya go then. And if you need to hear the ?l-word? so bad, then just ask her!”

“I?I don?t know if I could do that.”

“Shit, woman, you?re ready to give up now! What damage could be done by asking her? You?ve already decided what the answer is gonna be, without even givin? her the benefit of the doubt.”

“Am I?? Shit. That?s exactly what I?m doing, isn?t it.”

“Yeah. It is, Shortchange. Now, I?m not sayin? that whatever it was that you?re arguin? about is a good or bad thing, cause I don?t know, and I don?t think I wanna know. But?don?t ya think maybe you should talk to her first? Then make a decision based on what she says, rather than what you think she?s gonna say?”

“I?I don?t know.” When she met Chaney?s eyes again, her expression was bleak. “I?m scared.”

“Aww.” Standing, Chaney walked around the table, squatted down, and gathered Cat into her arms, offering comfort the best way she knew how. “It?s okay, Shortchange. We all get scared over these things sometimes. We?re human, ya know?” Pulling back, she smiled at her friend. “G?wan home and think things over, Cat. I know you?ll make the right move. You?re smart like that.”

Cat offered a tremulous smile, wiping at leaking eyes. “I don?t?.”

“You do. Now git!”

“But the check—!”

“You let me take care of that. You?ll owe me big time later. Now go.”

With effort, Cat managed to stand. “Thanks, Chane,” she whispered.

“Anytime, Shortchange. See ya tomorrow at practice, ok?”

“Ok.”

Chaney returned to her seat after Cat left the restaurant and, after a moment, a stunned, amazed grin spread over her face. “Holy shit!” she whispered. “Cat?s shaggin the Coach!”

Early the next morning, before the sun had fully risen, Cat found herself outside of Dylan?s house, pacing nervously back and forth next to her car and having an intense, if internal, conversation. Alright, Cat. You can do this. It?s not like she?s gonna bite your head off or anything. She?s a reasonable person, right? Right. So go up there, tell her you acted like a total ass, beg her for her forgiveness, and?

She?d never been able to get past that stupid ?and? part despite her best efforts.

Before she had a chance to screw on her courage, the door opened and Dylan peered out, her face a mask of non-emotion, one eyebrow raised. “Would you like to come in, or were you planning on standing out there all morning talking to yourself?”

Startled, Cat blushed a deep red, shamed at being caught out like this. She fought down the almost overwhelming urge to jump back into her car and drive away. “I?m sorry. I?.”

Taking a step back, Dylan opened the door wider in invitation. “C?mon in.”

Slowly, with hesitant steps, Cat approached the house and slipped inside, careful not to touch the woman holding the door, lest her hard-fought resolutions crumble away to dust.

Respecting the space between them, Dylan led Cat into the living room and gestured for her to take a seat on the couch. Dylan looked down at her, hands hanging loose at her sides. “Was there something you wanted?”

“I?um?.” her voice trailed off as she realized, for the first time, what Dylan was wearing. Clad in black dress slacks and a pale blue silk top that set off the color of her eyes, Dylan was, to Cat?s eyes, a vision. “I?m keeping you from something. I should just—.”

“I have time,” Dylan replied, her voice level. “The photo-shoot?s at ten.”

“That?s,” Cat stated quickly, “what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Go on.”

“I wanted?I?God, this is hard.” She sighed, looking down at her clasped hands. “I wanted to say that I was?sorry?for acting like an ass the other night. I wish I could say that I didn?t know what came over me, but the truth is, I do. I was? jealous.” Taking a deep breath, she let the rest of the words tumble out. “I was jealous, and instead of talking to you about my feelings, I battered you with them, then ran away like an idiot. I acted irrationally, and I?m sorry.”

Winding down, she continued to stare at her hands until to silence became too uncomfortable to bear. Sneaking a peek up at Dylan through her lashes, she swallowed hard at the mask the tall woman wore. Her heart clenched hard in her chest, and she fancied she could feel it fracture. The sting of tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away before they could fall.

Never again, she told herself, unclasping her hands and setting them on the couch, prepared to push herself up and leave. I?ll never put my heart on the line again. It?s just too damn painful.

As she stood, she turned her face away from Dylan, unable to look at that stony mask one second more. “I?guess I?ll see you at practice, then. I?m sorry to have taken up your time.”

She had almost made it to the door when Dylan?s soft voice halted her steps.

“Why were you jealous?”

“That?s a good question,” Cat replied, barely aware she was speaking aloud. “I?ve thought about it a lot during these past couple days, and I don?t think I can come up with an answer that would satisfy even me.”

The silence behind her gained weight, oppressive as only such silences could ever be. Her heart beating so fast and so hard that she was sure it would pound itself right out of her chest, Cat gathered every scrap of courage she ever possessed, and gave voice to the one question she wanted?needed?answered.

“Dylan,” she began softly, so softly that Dylan, even with her exceptional hearing, had to strain to hear her, “do you love me?”

Silence reigned again, for just a moment. “Excuse me?”

Whirling, Cat pinned Dylan in place with a gaze that was open, honest, and deadly serious. “I need to know. Do you love me?”

“Yes.”

It was amazing, Cat mused, how that one simple word could restore hope to a heart gone cold. Still, the smile that might have been expected stayed from her lips. “I think?I think that maybe part of my?jealousy?came from not?knowing?that.” The silence was still thick, and Cat found herself turning her head away yet again. “I know it sounds like I?m dumping all of this on you, but I?m not. Not really. I guess I was just?scared?.”

Not sensing any movement, Cat was startled at the sudden feel of long, strong arms wrapping themselves around her and the press of a tight, lean body against to hers. Emotionally drained, she could do nothing but melt into the enveloping warmth, her hands coming up to tangle in the fabric of Dylan?s shirt as if holding onto a lifeline. “I?m sorry,” she whispered, voice muffled against the fabric covering her lover?s chest. “I?m so sorry.”

“It?s okay,” Dylan murmured, brushing her hand against Cat?s back in soothing circles. “It?s okay. I?m here. It?s okay.” After a moment, she pulled away slightly and gently tipped the younger woman?s chin up so that their eyes met. “I love you, Catherine. I?m sorry that it?s taken me this long to tell you how I feel. I?m so?.”

“No,” Cat replied, touching a finger against Dylan?s full lips, “please, don?t apologize for my insecurities. My heart knew your answer before I even asked the question. I know you love me, and I knew it then. I just?.”

“Cat, if this photo shoot bothers you so much, I?ll call Horace and tell him to shove it. I don?t want you hurting like this.”

“Dylan, I can?t ask that of you, and I won?t. This is a part of who you are, a part of who you?ve always been. I absolutely hate the way you were coerced into it, and I hate being a part of that, but I also realize that it bothers me a lot more than it bothers you.” She smiled. “I trust you. I think?I think I just need to learn how to trust myself.”

Dylan was silent for such a long time that Cat began to fear that she?d misspoken. Finally, the tall woman?s expression cleared and she looked down at her partner intently. “If you don?t have any plans for the morning, why not come to the shoot with me?”