Dear Diary

Chapter 31

Sitting in their usual booth at Hilly's, Leia with her crutches in tow, she and Erica were catching up since Leia wasn't able to be at work all week.  Leia was trying to understand why their boss, Laura, had been such a bitch to her.  She didn't even send anything with Erica for her to do while she was laid up.  "It's not like I said I can't work.  I just told her I couldn't come into the office, that it was doctor's orders.  I even sent the note when Danny brought me home from the ER.  What is her problem?  I mean, c'mon Ere, even you know I haven't taken a sick day in two years!"

Shaking her head, Erica could only tell her friend, "I really don't know.  I'm more surprised she didn't send you anything.  You know how she likes to pawn all her shit off on the two of us, while she just sits at her desk trying to look important."

"Well, whatever the reason for her shit, I'm getting sick of it.  She is not the person she was.  I'm going to start looking for something else, between you and me."

"I hear ya, Lei."  Erica paused a moment, and then dove into the topic that she wanted to really talk about, but also avoid.  "So, um, what is up with you and Danny?" trying not to sound like she was in complete disapproval of the two of them.

"What do you mean?"

Erica let out a deep sigh.  "You know what I mean, Leia.  When you called me Sunday, you said he was staying with you all week because of your ankle.  Then I hear from Jeni that some Lacy bitch is resurfacing.  Where the hell are Jen and Dean anyway?"

"They'll be here.  It's still early.  And yes, Danny has stayed with me all week.  Thankfully.  I really fucked my ankle up this time.  He's been a huge help.  Taking care of my house, cooking, laundry, just a huge help."  Erica was just staring at Leia and taking in her reactions to what she was saying.  Then Leia noticed the look on Erica's face.  "What?"

"Oh no."

"What?"

"Are you sleeping with him?"  Leia just hung her head.  "You are!  Leia!"

"What?"

"Why?"

Leia was a bit surprised at Erica's question.  She knew what Danny meant to Leia.  "Does it matter?"

Bug eyed, Erica responded, "Yes it matters!  Do you not remember the last time you guys tried and failed.  You ended up on my couch for three days, uncontrollably crying.  You didn't eat.  You barely slept."

"It's not like that Erica.  We. . ."

"Oh my God.  You two are back together.  You took him back?!"

"Ere, listen to me.  He is not the person he was.  I mean, he is, but he isn't."

"Lei, he does this to you all the time.  C'mon, enough is enough.  I get you guys have a history but, at some point, you have to stop living in the past."

Bobbing her head, Leia was getting irritated.  Erica knew what Danny meant to her, what he had always meant to her.  She knew how much Leia just wanted him back in her life.  Why she was now being such a bitch about it, she didn't understand.  "Living in the past?  I'm not living in the past Ere.  Look, when I was messing around with Bret and Joseph, you were practically begging me to stop because that was "not me."  And you know what, as much as I hate to say it, you were right.  That wasn't me.  Did I have fun?  Sure.  Had some really awesome sex, but there was nothing more to it than that.  There is more here."

"What is this hold he has over you Lei.  Since you were nineteen, he's had some God damn hold over you that you just can't get rid of."

"Maybe I don't want to get rid of it.  Erica, you know I was in love with him then.  For fuck's sake, you know I was still in love with him a month ago.  I'm still in love with him now.  And he's still in love with me."

"I just don't want to see him hurt you again.  Because if he does, I'm sorry Lei, you're not staying on my couch again.  I'm not dealing with it."

What the fuck was this shit?  This is how a best friend acts?  Leia was about to say something to that effect, when she heard a familiar voice, "Hello ladies!"

"SAM!" Leia was so excited to see him.  "What are you doing here again?  Not that it's not good to see you, but, well, Dylan?"

As he leaned over to give his friend a peck on the cheek, he spoke, "Well, Dylan is with Mom and Dad.  They decided that they liked having him in the house overnight and told me that I need to go out and start having a life," he sat down in the booth across from her, put his right arm around Erica, and then pecked her lips when she turned her head.  "Hey sweets."  

Leia's eyes damn near fell out of her head.  "Uh, Ere?  Something you want to tell me?"

Sam looked at both women, realizing Leia had no clue what was going on, very casually slid out of the booth and said, "How 'bout I go get us all some drinks?"

"MGD for me please Sam."

"Erica?"

"Nothing right now."

"Okay, I'll be back."  Under his breath he muttered, "she didn't tell Leia yet.  Oh shit."

Now the roles were reversed.  "What?" Erica asked.

"Sam?  Really?  You're with Sammy?"

"We're testing things," Erica let out in a little kid type manner.  

"Erica, he has been through hell, and you know it.  Worse than any of us.  You know if you fuck him over, you loose Dean too."

"What makes you think I'm going to fuck him over?"

"How did this even happen?"

Erica started in on how the week before when everyone was leaving Hilly's, she and Sam were talking and she had invited him back to her place, just to catch up.  They were talking about everything under the sun and more.  How he was grateful to all of us when Lynn lost her shit and was going crazy on him, thinking he was cheating, and that his brother wasn't really his brother - he was just a figment of Sam's imagination, denying she ever had Dylan.  She was just batshit crazy.  Then, as they were talking about that, Sam just looked at her with that "goofy" look that guys get when they know they are going to kiss you.  "And then he did, and one thing led to another, and.  Well. . ."

"YOU SLEPT WITH SAM?!?!"

"Would you keep your voice down Lei?  No one knows.  Well, not passed you.  I haven't told Jeni, which means Dean doesn't know."

"So wait, wait, wait just a minute here.  You can come down on me for getting back together with Danny, but you can't tell anyone that you slept with Sam?"

"It's not the same thing!"

"Oh yes it is.  Erica, when's the last time you were in a serious relationship?"  When Erica didn't answer, Leia said, "Exactly.  And when's the last time you just went home with somebody, got what you wanted and then cut them loose."

"I'm not going to cut Sam loose.  Thing is, I like him."

"You like every man until you get bored with them."

"Hey, if you can go slutting it around with Bret and Joseph, I can change and not want to lose Sam."

"I hope you know what you're doing Ere."

"Same goes for you Leia."  They just smiled at one another.  Yes, they had their disagreements on this today, but they would remain as they always do - stuck with one another.