“Can we talk about stress for a minute?” Larissa interjected. “I’m curious how you would describe your stress at different points in the relationship from the moment you met until today,and how it might have impacted your decision-making. For example, did either of you ever consider not going for it, and why?”
Harlow leaned back and let her take over the rest of the interview. She watched Larissa as she pushed those glasses back up her nose and smiled a little. God, she had loved her for so long now. She couldn’t believe it had been that long, but she’d once been a college freshman, and she had thought she’d loved her then. More than a decade of friendship and time had passed since, and she knew she loved Larissa even more now. Harlow had to look away then, but still needing a moment to herself with all this talk of love and her sitting so close to Larissa, she decided to excuse herself to go to the bathroom, earning a small smile from Larissa when she hit the door. She couldn’t just stand outside the room while they continued on without her, though, because all the walls were glass, so she figured she’d get everyone water like last time. She headed down the hall and to the front lobby, where she noticed Samantha at the desk.
“How’s it going? I saw you two come in. I came out of the bathroom and hooked a right to avoid you,” Samantha said.
“It’s going well, I think. I thought you worked days.”
“I’m covering for someone tonight.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what?” Samantha asked.
“That I was in love with Larissa.”
“You really want to talk about this now?”
“She’s busy in there, and I’m curious. You and I weren’t together that long, and we’ve sort of maintained our friendship. Or, we’re at least acquaintances, as you put it before. I wouldn’t say we were particularly close, even when we dated. How did you know?”
“The first time I met her.”
“What about it?” Harlow asked, leaning over the desk.
“You wanted us to meet and invited her to the bar. We were there already, and when she walked in, I saw your face just light up. It was pretty obvious after that. You smiled the whole night and had all these inside jokes, but it was more than that. The moment she entered the room, I wasn’t there anymore for you. I had to reach for your hand in some lame attempt to claim you in front of her. I hated myself for that, but you were my girlfriend.”
“I’m sorry,” Harlow replied.
“It’s whatever now. I won’t lie to you: I still think you’re hot, and I have no self-control because I know how good you are in bed, too, so I asked you to stay away when you showed up here with her, but I’m not still into you for real or anything. Purely physical.”
“Well, thanks. Doesn’t seem important for you to mention that I’m repulsive to you in all other ways, but I’ve got it,” she joked.
“You know you can get some pretty much whenever you want when you’re single. I hate that about you, by the way.”
Samantha winked at her.
“Someone offered the other night, actually.”
“Of course, they did,” Samantha said, laughing a little.
“I turned her down.”
“Because you don’t have sex just for the sake of it; I remember.” Samantha looked at the door as someone walked through it and added, “I have to get back to work, but tell me something, Harlow.”
“Sure.”
“Are youevergoing to tell her?”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because it would change everything. Larissa is not… She doesn’t feel the same way. Never has. It’s better to just keep our friendship how it is. I can’t risk losing that.”
Samantha shook her head before she turned it toward the members-only area and said, “She’s coming, but, Harlow, you’re a dumbass.”
