Casting Debbie

Chapter 30

get ready gays ;)

***

Debbie was in bad shape. The week in New York had solidified in her mind

that Lou was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. They'd spent every waking and even sleeping moment together, Lou always by her side, even at the morgue when she said her final goodbyes to her brother. It was the most difficult week of her life and she didn't know how she could've gotten through it without Lou there.

Even on the plane ride back to L.A., Lou had held her close. It was only when they walked into the house that they went their separate ways, Lou to her bedroom and Debbie to the guesthouse. Maybe Lou was in desperate need of some alone time. It had been a hard week for everyone, after all. Debbie couldn't begrudge her that. But she couldn't sleep well, either. She'd sat on the edge of the bed for hours last night, not wanting to sleep alone. Not wanting to wake up alone.

But she did wake up alone. She stared at the ceiling for a while and then dragged herself out of bed. She sat at the little kitchen table alone and sipped on a cup of bad coffee, thinking about how wonderful a long drive sounded. It also sounded like torture, having to sit next to the woman she'd fallen in love with for hours on end. There wouldn't be a reason to touch her anymore. No cameras. No debilitating grief. Just them. Alone.

God, the more Debbie thought about it, it sounded absolutely horrible. No, it seemed best just to stay in L.A. and rest over the weekend. Find her bearings again. She had fan mail. More than she'd ever had during her career on Light of Day. Maybe she could sit and read the love mail and more than likely, a bit of hate mail.

***

Lou knocked on the guesthouse door and poked her head in. "Hey." She frowned when she saw the coffee cup. "Why didn't you come inside for coffee? I have breakfast waiting."

"I, um..." Debbie always went inside for coffee. That big espresso machine called to her, and Lou knew how much she loved it. Any excuse she made for drinking the crappy coffee wouldn't be believed, so she didn't even try.

"Do you want to be alone?"

Debbie was alone, whether she liked it or not. She had no family, besides an aunt she barely knew who lived in Montana or New Mexico, she could never remember which. But she didn't want to talk about that. "Did you really cook breakfast?"

Lou held out her hand. "Don't make me eat it alone."

Debbie took her hand and stood up. "Is it edible?" she joked, trying to lighten her heavy mood.

"Very funny." Lou pulled Debbie into an unexpected hug. "Good morning. I missed you."

Debbie closed her eyes and inhaled Lou's scent. It instantly comforted her and she relaxed into the hug, wrapping her arms around Lou's waist. "Good morning."

"How did you sleep?" Lou pulled back and cupped Debbie's cheeks, studying her face. "Not well, I see."

"Terrible."

"You're sleeping with me tonight. It's too soon to be alone. I don't know what I was thinking, leaving you out here like this." Debbie gave her a slight nod. "Good, then it's settled." She took Debbie's hand and led her outside. "It's a beautiful day."

Debbie shielded her eyes from the sun. "A good day for mountain biking?"

"A good day for flying." Lou tightened her grip on Debbie's hand and grinned.

Debbie narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Lou pulled out a chair at the table for Debbie. "We're going to Napa, but we're going to fly there."