Keeping Faith (11 page)

Returning downstairs, and flipping on every light in the process her nervousness reached a higher level. Not even Smudge came to greet her and she feared Faith took the dog and left. Sitting down dejectedly on the couch, she noticed two glasses on the coffee table and inspected them. Purple lipstick, she should have known. Cori was here and she told Faith everything. Reece panicked again, projecting her behavior onto her wife. Her thoughts took her to a bad place, a place where Faith was gallivanting with half naked women out of spite. Her head swimming with stomach cramp inducing images, the loud familiar snort emanating from the guest room was the sweetest sound she ever heard. Bolting up and into the room she was surprised to see two bodies occupying the bed. Confused, she turned on the light and was instantly relieved to find Cori spooning her wife, and Smudge on Cori's head. She quickly retrieved the flowers from the living room and sat down next to Faith.

Faith drifted up from sleep in confusion. A little bit drunk and very groggy, she could swear Cori was caressing her and she couldn't understand. Making sense of the situation, she was coherent enough to realize that if Cori was touching her, she'd have to be on both sides of her and that made her open her eyes quick. Startled by the strange object in her face, she jumped up.

Reece moved the flowers away and smiled weakly.

After gathering enough moisture in her mouth to speak, Faith cocked her head. "Reece? What is this?"

"Flowers."

Faith yawned loudly. "I can see that, but why?" She squinted at the clock, "Why now?"

Reece shrugged.

"Are you apologizing to me?"

"Yeah. Here." she thrust the flowers in Faith's chest.

"Baby, it's nearly 4 in the morning, where the hell did you get flowers?"

"Never mind, don't you like them?"

"Reece, I don't even know my name right now. How about we go to sleep and talk about this later."

Reece was disappointed. "But I want to listen to you, I'm supposed to listen to you."

Faith sighed and got out of bed. Of all the times Reece could have picked to act like this, now wasn't very good. "Okay, I just need water. Lots of water."

Triumphant, Reece marched out of the room to get water. Faith, still holding the flowers, met her halfway and they settled in the living room. The actress took the offered water and drank deeply.

"Faith, look... I'm an asshole."

Faith raised an eyebrow and waited.

"See, I'm proud of you and I don't tell you enough and I don't listen and I just yelled cuz I was mad and..."

Faith put up a finger, silently asking Reece to stop. "You
are
an asshole, and yes you did yell like a maniac, but I expected that. But you're right, you didn't listen and that pissed me the hell off. I am having just as much trouble with this as you are, but you didn't give me the opportunity to tell you that. I don't want to do this movie."

Reece furrowed her brows. "But you're a great actress! You should do the movie regardless of me."

"Not if it makes me uncomfortable. And, if it came down to doing the movie and losing you, the movie could rot. BUT, that would be my choice, not because you told me not to. Understand?"

Reece nodded and picked at a flower.

"Baby, I love you, and I don't want to make you sick. I don't want to make your stomach hurt and I certainly don't ever want you so mad at me again that you stomp off and act like an asshole."

Reece lowered her head. "I didn't do anything, I didn't even touch them." she mumbled.

Faith's eyes widened. "Who didn't you touch?"

"I thought Cori... but you said I was an asshole so I thought you knew..."

Faith's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing! I didn't like it either!"

"Reece Corbett did you act stupid with the dancers?"

"No!"

Faith fumed. "Reece!"

"Okay, a little stupid but I hated it and I stopped."

Faith shook her head. "Why do you do things like that? Who are you teaching a lesson to?"

Reece felt awful. "I don't know. I was mad."

"You were mad, so you make a fool of me in the club?"

The club owner made a face. "I didn't mean to do that, I was just ... I don't know." She pushed the flowers closer to Faith. "I'm Sorry?" She added super quietly.

Faith craned her neck. "What?"

"I said, I'm sorry."

"You better be. What you did was uncalled for. There was no reason for you to run out of here and act like an ass. Not over this. OOO! You make me so mad sometimes!

Reece felt even more terrible. "I didn't think."

"No, you don't think. Reece, you have to stop running off in the moment because you're mad and deliberately trying to hurt who your mad at!"

"Stop yelling at me, I feel bad enough."

Faith sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

Reece shrugged. "You forgive me right?"

"I'm mad at you, but I forgive you."

Reece grinned to herself. Faith wasn't going to leave her and she forgave her.

Faith drank the rest of the water. "I don't even want to do the sex scenes anyway. You're spiteful performance was pointless."

Reece looked up through her lashes. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to speak to the powers that be in a few hours, and see if I can't change it."

"They better change it." Reece said angrily.

"Baby, if they don't, I don't do the movie. I'll be disappointed but I have principles, and a wife who I care about and don't want to hurt."

Reece felt better after that was said and she puffed up. "Want me to go with you and scare them?"

Faith chuckled. "No, honey, I think you need to stay far away from them." She took her wife's hand and held it.

Reece scooted closer to Faith. "Wanna do something dirty?"

"Now?" Faith asked in disbelief.

Reece leaned over and peeked down the front of Faith's top. "Yeah, now."

The actress slapped her hand playfully. "I'm still mad at you."

"I can fix that." Reece boasted and lifted Faith up carrying her upstairs.

Cori awoke alone in the guest room and frowned. Figuring Faith got up early and didn’t wake her she got right out of bed. “Hon?” she peeked around the living room and kitchen and something caught her eye. “Flowers? Geez, these are lame.” She picked them up and attempted to save their lives by putting them in a vase. Assuming Reece got in late last night, she wasn’t going to disturb her sleeping friends. Even though she was curious as hell to know what went on, the flowers were a good indication of Reece’s attempt at an apology. Knowing Faith was bound to forgive her, she shook her head and chuckled. Faith was livid the night before, but she was sure, Reece presenting flowers in the middle of the night made all the difference in the world.

Reece woke up before Faith and snuck out of bed with a gentle kiss to her wife. After a trip to the bathroom, she trudged down to the kitchen, exhausted but determined to make up for her bad behavior. Searching the fridge for breakfast, she yawned loudly and scratched her ass.

“That’s attractive.” Cori mentioned, reaching around Reece to get the coffee.

“Bite me.” Reece muttered rather boredly.

“Oooo, that’s not the usual acid laced retort I’m accustomed to.”

“I’m fucking tired, Cor. I hardly slept last night.”

“That’s because you were riddled with guilt.”

“No, smart ass, that’s because I was making up to my wife, and speaking of wife, why aren’t you home?”

“For your information, while Faith was miserable and worried sick over you last night, I was here to console her. Her supportive wife seemed to be elsewhere, engaged in else-what.”

“Fuck off, Freak. Where the hell is the butter?”

Cori took the eggs from Reece and reached into the fridge for the butter. “Here, you big baby. What are we having?”

Reece dug around in the freezer for a box of Eggo’s. “Faith and I are having eggs, waffles and bacon. You are having a good trip on the subway home.”

Cori started scrambling eggs. “You think a breakfast will clear you of any wrongdoings?”

“For your information, Faith already forgave me. Besides, we have a bigger problem than my behavior. Faith is all fucked up with this script. She’s going to call the guy in charge this morning and try and get him to change it.”

The dancer narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I know, and he better change it or else.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Reece asked nervously. "If he doesn’t, than Faith won’t do the movie, and she’ll be miserable. “

“You ain’t kidding. Let’s not think about the worst. He wrote it for her, let’s just wait and see.”

Faith awoke to the smell of bacon wafting through her senses. By the time she got to the kitchen, Reece already had the breakfast on the table. “What’s all this about?”

Reece grinned. “It’s for you. I made it.” she said proudly.

The actress kissed her wife on the cheek and sat down. “Ooo, a slice of orange and everything.”

“That was my idea.” Cori called from the living room.

“Are you still here?” Reece asked, pouring coffee.

Cori ignored her friend and kissed Faith on the head. “I’m going, I just wanted to see you this morning. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Faith looked to Reece who smiled. “I forgive her, but I’m still a little mad.”

Cori stuck her tongue out at Reece. “Call me if anything, Hon.”

Reece waited until Cori left. “Are you really still mad at me?”

“Yes.”

“But I thought we made up?”

“We made love, not made up. Anyway, I don’t hate you baby, I’m just mad at what you did because you didn’t think about anyone but yourself when you went off and acted like a moron.

Reece sighed. “Can I do anything?”

“Breakfast is a good start. These eggs are great! What did you do?”

“I made them with love.”

Faith rolled her eyes. “Oh, man, you really are trying.”

Reece showed all her teeth in a smile.

Faith swallowed and sighed. “I have to call Brad.”

“Brad? Why him? I thought you were going to call whoever wrote the script.” Reece’s eyebrows knit together.

Faith speared some waffle. “Brad’s my agent, he should do the dirty work don’t you think? Besides, if I get on the phone with the writer I’ll go off and that’s not a good thing.”

The club owner pursed her lips. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Faith sat in thought for a little while before speaking again. “Reece, are you going to be alright with any body contact between me and another woman?”