Fallen From Grace

Seventeen

"Can I ask you something?" Kristine murmured as the women sat on the couch.

"Yes. You don't have to ask if you can ask me something. Just ask." Danielle said with a soft laugh.

Kristine bite her lip, blushing a little. "Well, I was just wondering..why would your friend Jamie have asked if we were together?" Danielle hadn't wanted to talk about it at the time, but Kristine was curious.

"I don't know. Because she knows I'm a lesbian? Cause she knows you're staying with me." Danielle responded.

"Does she know about me?" Kristine asked, the thought made her uneasy.

"Yes." Danielle replied hesitantly. Kristine sighed and rubbed a hand over her face.

"Why did you tell her?" Kristine asked.

"Well she's my friend. And you were on the news after all." Danielle replied with an apologetic look.

"So why would she think we were dating?"

Danielle furrowed her brow, unsure of the connection Kristine was trying to make. "What are you getting at?"

"I just don't understand." Kristine replied.

"What is there to understand?" Danielle asked.

"If you told your friend about me, then why would she think we were dating. She knows I was a nun, that I was abducted and hurt. Why would she think we were together?" Kristine wondered.

"Oh..." Danielle nodded slowly, stalling. She wasn't sure how Kristine would feel if she knew the whole truth. "Um well she knows me pretty well. We've been..friends for years."

"And...?" Kristine prompted. That hardly answered the question and she sensed there was more to the story.

"Well when I told her about you she took it to mean I had some sort of feelings for you." Danielle blushed.

"Do you?" Kristine asked. She couldn't help but hold her breath as she waited for an answer.

"I like you, Kristine. You already knew that."

"But that's different than having feelings for me."

"How would you feel if I told you that I did?" Danielle asked hesitantly.

"Flattered." Kristine smiled.

"If I'm being honest, it doesn't feel right to have feelings for you." Danielle said slowly.

Kristine frowned, that wasn't what she expected the woman to say. "Why not?" She asked sadly. Danielle had told her earlier in the day that she thought she was beautiful. Now she wondered if that was even true.

Danielle sighed and scooted closer, reaching for one of Kristine's hands. "There's a lot of reasons. But, if I had feelings for you, it's not something I can act on. It wouldn't be good for either of us."

"I don't understand what you mean." Kristine replied looking down at their joined hands.

Danielle closed her eyes tightly and rubbed her forehead with her free hand. She didn't know how to say what needed to be said without it coming off insensitive. "Why is it so important that you know?" She asked trying to get to the core of this conversation before saying something embarrassing or regrettable.

"You still haven't answered my question." Kristine simply stated.

"Which question is that?" Danielle asked confused.

"Do you have feelings for me? You've just been dancing around the question and trying to change the subject." Kristine smiled sweetly.

Danielle wanted to be honest, but she felt she was opening herself up to be hurt, which did not sit well with her. She'd been hurt before and built up walls around her. She wasn't sure letting those walls down was a good idea.