Stiletto

Chapter 1: Good Morning

Lexi wakes to a gentle touch on her shoulder and a soft voice in her ear.

"Good morning beautiful."

Lexi turns in her bed to face her partner, Isabella.

"Morning, baby."

They share a short, sweet kiss.

"How did you sleep?" Lexi asked Isabella with loving eyes.

Isabella sighed before answering, "I'm still having the nightmares."

Lexi cupped her hand around her girlfriend's cheek, "Bella, I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do." Isabella places her hand around Lexi's, taking in her warmth. "It's not your fault, you didn't even know I existed when it happened."

Isabella pauses while looking into Lexi's eyes. "And you do enough by just being there for me, you make me feel safe" she continued. "Plus, my therapist told me last night that I am making progress." Isabella added before bringing Lexi's hand to her lips. She places a soft kiss on her hand sending a bashful smile across Lexi's face. Isabella sits up as she segway's into a new topic.

"Speaking of last night, did you have fun with Sam? He obviously went easy on you this time, I can barely smell the alcohol on your breath" she said with a slight giggle.

Lexi couldn't help but let a laugh escape her lips as well. "It was fun. This guy came in and Sam insisted to me that he wasn't straight and then spent the rest of the night trying to prove it. Who he was trying to prove it to, I have no idea" Lexi said sarcastically as the two let out a genuine laugh. "I will tell you this, watching your gay best friend try and convince a questionably straight man that he isn't straight..." Lexi can't help but break into a contagious laughter, "Highlight of my night."

Isabella lets out a chuckle, "I can imagine."

Lexi's laugher fades into a more serious tone as she finally sits up, "thank you again for getting him that job at the bar, things have been rough for him lately."

Isabella shifts into a caring tone, "He is your best friend Lex, and my bar could use a little splash of color behind the counter at night anyways."

They shared a soft smile and a moment of silence before Lexi slid back underneath the sheets and Isabella started getting ready for the day. Isabella worked 9 to 5's managing the bar while Lexi worked the afternoon shifts at the Little Bean coffee shop.

Lexi's eyes jilted open a few hours later to the chorus of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." She hit the stop button on her phone before resting her head back on the pillow.

"I have to change my alarm" she mumbled.

Once her heartbeat fell back to a steady pace, she opened her eyes and grabbed her phone. It was quarter to eleven, leaving her time to wake up.

The first notification she saw was a missed text from Sam, "He wasn't gay." Lexi couldn't help but giggle. She typed back, "What gave him away?" smiling to herself before getting out of bed. She walked over to the shower and let the water run while she brushed her teeth. Her phone vibrated from Sam's text, she almost spit out her toothpaste when she read "He threw his martini in my eye." Lexi sent back laughing emoji's before hopping in the shower. She replayed that night in her head.

"One... two...THREE!"

They both swallowed the burning sensation of whiskey.

Lexi stuck her tongue out as a natural response to the taste, "Sam what did you do to this?" she asked knowing he enjoyed playing around with the different liquors.

"It's called Hunka Hunka Burning Love" he said to her as he spotted a man at the end of the bar. "Speaking of hunks..." he said with a smile.

"Forget it Sammy, he's not your type-" before Lexi could finish her sentence, a man sat down next to her placing a hand on her thigh.

"I would agree" the stranger said. "This man seems far from your type. I, on the other hand..." He said moving his hand higher.

"Are not her type either" Sam snarked finishing the strangers sentence. "She's gay douchebag" He elaborated rolling his eyes. "Now get out of here before I have you removed" Sam said staring him in the eyes.

The stranger scoffed and whispered softly in Lexi's ear before leaving, "Don't settle for girls just because you've never experienced a real man."

His words lingered in her head. She was disgusted down to her core. His words made her want to take a hundred showers. Sam's voice snapped her out of her daze.

"What did he say to you?" Sam questioned once he was gone.

Something awoke in Lexi, a part of her she didn't know was there. She lied about the mans words.

"He apologized" She said softly with a fake grin.

Sam rolled his eyes, "ugh, straight men."

Lexi stayed quiet as Sam went on about the man at the end of the bar.

"He dresses like he is sexually confused, and his drinks say that he is sexually confused, and his glasses don't look like they even have prescription which I think is ridiculous because lack of vison is a problem facing millions of people worldwide-"

Sam is cut off by Lexi.

"Sam just go talk to him, be his bartender." She says wanting the rabbit hole of "what ifs" to stop.

"But what about you?" He asked feeling bad.

She laughed and assured him she would be fine.

"Just make me a dirty Shirley and I will make myself scarce" She smiled.

He made Lexi the drink she asked for and handed it to her.

"You are the best'' he beamed.

She grabbed her drink and responded, "Well only one of us is single, so what are best friends for?"

She raised her glass as a goodbye before fading into the background, sitting alone in the dark corner of the bar.