Blair shrugged. “It would’ve shown me you were pissed at my question. And you know what? I would’ve gotten pissed right back, because I was just trying to help.” Blair tried to keep the bite out of her tone, but the truth was she was  a little annoyed. She wasn’t sure if she felt more annoyed that Erin was blowing her off when she was trying to help or that she was avoiding being honest with her.

“See! That’s why I bite my tongue.”

“But you shouldn’t!” Blair’s voice was much louder than she meant for it to be, and she didn’t do a good job of hiding her annoyance, but wasn’t that kind of the point? “Not with me. You should be honest with me. And if we fight, you know what? Then we fight! And later, we make up. I’m not going to be scared away by one bad moment or even a bad day or month. You don’t have to be perfect with me. I’d prefer that you’re not.”

“Okay.”

“Okay? Really? That’s all?” Blair had to hold back a growl. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was sick, but right now she couldn’t handle Erin’s avoidance tactics. “Listen, I’m going to close my eyes and take a nap.”

“Are… are you mad at me?”

Erin sounded so sad. Even if Blair had been mad at her, that soft, sweet voice would’ve snapped her out of it. “I’m not mad. I’m just sick and also a little bit frustrated, but I’m not mad. I promise.”

“Do you want some space, or is it okay if I snuggle you?”

Blair smiled in spite of her frustration. “I would love it if you snuggled me.”

Erin smiled in relief and put her arm out. Blair snuggled into her and lay her head on Erin’s chest. As she fell asleep to the sound of Erin’s beating heart, Blair realized why she was so frustrated that Erin couldn’t seem to move on from her past. It was because while Erin was still holding onto past pain, Blair was slowly but surely falling in love with her.

Chapter 24

Erin

When Erin woke up the next day, her mind was racing. After the conversation with Blair about Bianca, things had been weird the rest of the day. Not bad, per se, but definitely different in a way she couldn’t put her finger on. And she hated it. She was supposed to be taking care of Blair, not making her feel worse. Blair hadn’t gone home at the end of the night, so that had to be a good sign, right? In fact, she was still lying next to Erin right now, looking completely content while Erin contemplated all of her life choices.