A\N - I'm back, and with 14k words! I would have never imagined I'd write such a long fic, to be honest. I hope the effort is worth it!

Cordelia was writing a text to her best friend when she opened the door of her house. It was a small, with only two stories, house that was compensated with a large yard where she had planted a huge amount of flowers and trees. She had come home from work early, knowing that Hank would probably be there watching the match and she would be able to read the last novel she had bought. Taking off her shoes, she left them in the entry closet and hung her black coat in it before walking upstairs barefoot. She could hear the sound of Hank's music from their bedroom, surprisingly loud. Sometimes her husband liked to play his music loud when she wasn't there -he knew she hated it and did his best not to play it when she was home. Cordelia smiled, resting her hand on the doorknob before slowly opening the door.

As soon as she heard the man's groans, confusion, pain and betrayal travelled through her veins, and tears dripped down her face when she saw a woman on top of her husband, wrapped in the bed sheets. The mysterious woman with cascading blonde hair didn't make a sound as she moved rhythmically on Hank's lap, although Hank couldn't stop growling and moaning. Before they could see her, Cordelia quietly closed the door and ran downstairs, sobbing as she grabbed her coat and took the keys of her car in her hands. She sped up, running some of the red traffic lights and ringing the bell of her aunt's house.

"What are you doing here, barefoot and crying, my dear?"

"Hank… a woman… upstairs."

"Come in."

Five minutes later Cordelia was sitting in Myrtle's house, crying while the old woman served her a cup of tea, as she processed what she had seen. She had just found her husband in bed with another woman, and the only thing she had been able to do was closing the door and exiting the house in complete silence. I'm so stupid, and such a coward...

"Did you know her, dear?" Myrtle asked, sitting next to her and holding her close, caressing her hair as she had done the many times Cordelia had had her heart broken. "Did you at least see her face?" Cordelia shook her head, knowing that it would have been worse if she had seen the woman's facial features. "It's okay, dear. Aunt Myrtle is here. I'll ask the maid to prepare you the guest's room and you can stay there as long as you want."

As Misty showered, Hank grabbed his phone and checked the time. Cordelia still hadn't gotten home, and though he knew he had at least another hour before the woman arrived, he wanted to get rid of the Cajun woman as soon as possible. They had been meeting at his house for weeks, a one night stand that had repeated many times since then. Cordelia left, Misty arrived, they had sex, the woman showered, she left, Cordelia arrived. It was the perfect plan. None of them knew the existence of each other, in part thanks to Cordelia's need to have everything neat and in part that they didn't have any pictures in the house, with the exception of their wedding photo that Cordelia had in her bedside table -and that Hank gracefully hid in a locked drawer when she was not home. His wife had never liked pictures, he didn't know why. The sound of water falling in the bathroom stopped and Misty walked into the room, her body covered by a towel and her wild hair now cascading wet over her shoulders.

"Hey..." she whispered, leaning in to kiss him before starting to put on her clothes.

"You should go."

"I know."

It was always like that. Hank didn't want to spend time with her, while Misty didn't want to stay. She liked to be alone, as she had been all her life. It was true that her parents were still living in the town, but since she had moved to that apartment in town and had bought the little shack in the swamps, she had started to feel lonely again. While the apartment was the place where she would take all of her one night stands, the small hut was her 'secret refuge', a place where she had everything she needed in the middle of nowhere, without anyone knowing where she was or what she did. She started to put on her clothes, feeling the man's gaze on her back. She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Their first few meetings had been passionate, but since Misty had realized the man had another lover -a blonde woman she had once seen arrive at the house just some minutes after she left- she had noticed that their encounters had become less enjoyable. They both wanted to be the dominant one in the relationship, and though the sex was nice, she had become bored. Still quite good though, Misty thought as she kissed him one last time and left the house.

"Hello honey, it's me. I have a lot of paperwork to do, so I'm not coming home tonight. Goodnight…" the message Cordelia had left in the voicemail said. "I love you." She had spent the first twenty-four hours after discovering her husband's cheating, crying in bed, only being disturbed by the maid that put a plate of food on the bureau of the room so she wouldn't starve. But Cordelia didn't touch the food. She didn't want to eat, and couldn't sleep. She had tried to, but the image of Hank cheating on her -in the house they had bought to build a family, in their own bed- still hadn't faded.

What am I going to do…?

Cordelia wasn't the kind of person who drowned her sorrows in alcohol. In fact, she still couldn't believe where she was at that moment. What could the headmistress of a small academy do in a karaoke bar, dressed in her usual white shirt and black pants, getting drunk alone and ignoring the man who was practically murdering a Michael Jackson song? For Cordelia, the answer to that question was in the depths of the glass of vodka she held in her hand. That night she just wanted to get Hank out of her mind. It had been a month, and though they still shared a life and a bed Cordelia knew things would never be the same, mainly because she had stopped caring. She felt lonely, she felt abandoned, and she felt dead.

The headmistress wondered for how much time he had been cheating on her. Weeks or months, maybe years, Cordelia couldn't stop thinking about how foolish she had been. They had been married for years, and Cordelia had never noticed anything different in his behavior, or had seen anything strange in his work schedules. All the times he's been home when I arrived, all the times he has come late from work... As Cordelia took another sip of vodka, lost in her thoughts, a voice cut through the air.

"Hey, man! Another one right here!" someone said moving a stool closer to her. A tall woman sat, with blonde curls that fell gracefully on her shoulders, lying in soft ringlets that framed her face. Her skin was smooth and lightly tanned, and Cordelia thought she had a pretty, delicate face. Her eyes were a strange mix between green and blue and were focused on the headmistress, while her pink lips were tilted in a smirk. Whoa, Cordelia thought clouded from the many drinks she had drank before that moment. The woman, obviously younger than Cordelia, wore black leather pants and a fringed top, and covered her shoulders with a shawl. Strange, Cordelia thought. "Do you like it, beautiful?" the young woman asked flirtatiously when she saw Cordelia's gaze focused on the shawl. "Stevie always wore them."

Cordelia raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

"Stevie Nicks, duh." she answered. So that's why she is dressed like that. Cordelia smiled, glad to have someone to talk to that night, even if the woman seemed to be a bit crazy. "Can I get you a drink?" the blonde offered, winking at her. Cordelia nodded shyly before signaling the bar man to get her another drink as she finished her vodka, but the bartender ignored her. "Wait, I got this." the blonde told her, smoothly slinging the headmistress' glass down the glossed table and directly to the bartender, who promptly refilled it and slid it right back into her hand. "That jerk is half deaf, you've gotta do it like this or he won't listen."

"Oh."

"So, you have a name?" she asked, tipping the glass she was holding to her mouth and taking a gulp of its contents.

"Cordelia."

"I like it. Very classy sounding, although I'm just gonna call you Dee, if you don't mind."

"It's okay. And you are?"

"I'm just plain ol' Misty Day." she said, an obvious Cajun accent coming out of her mouth.

"Nice to meet you." Cordelia smiled. Misty drank the entire contents of her glass and handed it off to another barman who refilled it again. She's obviously a regular here, Cordelia thought mindlessly. Soon after, a man introduced a song that sounded remotely familiar to the headmistress and made Misty jump.

"Oh, that's my song!" she exclaimed, winking at Cordelia before walking to the small stage of the bar.

Just like the white winged dove,

Sings a song,

Sounds like she's singin'

Five minutes later, the woman left the stage as a highly drunk man jumped onto it and started to sing Sweet Caroline. When Misty started to sing along with the music, her eyes had focused on Cordelia's and hadn't left them during the song, making Cordelia wonder how that woman could make Edge of Seventeen sound so strangely hot. During the course of the Neil Diamond song, Cordelia and Misty ordered a round of shots, drinking them all before the last note faded.

"So, I've got the drinks and I've got your name," Misty said with another of her smirks. "But I ain't got the reason you're here."

"My husband… I caught him with another woman in our bed."

"Ah, I see. Happened to me once."

"What did you do?"

"I cheated on him. Revenge sex is hot and men are dicks." Licking her lips in a seductive way, Cordelia saw Misty's pupils blow up in desire, and Cordelia swallowed hard. "We should get out of here and go to a real club, with good music instead of drunk people singing and a nice dance floor?" she suggested before leaning in to slowly whisper in the older woman's ear. "I'm a good dance partner, I like to get down and dirty. I can show you how it's done, Dee." her lips brushing Cordelia's earlobe softly and making her shudder. "Whatcha say?" she asked innocently, pulling back and smirking in a way that made Cordelia give in.

Cordelia was certainly the kind of woman that she had always liked. The blonde was elegant, smart, cute, polite and extremely sexy all at the same time. Her body was perfect, her fashion sense was classy -Misty ignored the woman's look that night because she knew Cordelia hadn't gotten dressed to find a one night stand-, her voice could be easily confused with singing angels and her stunning beauty made her look like a true goddess. It was impossible to not want her. Plus, the shyness of the woman towards her had been a major turn on.

The older woman hadn't been in a club for years, that was obvious. She moved awkwardly between the people, being dragged by Misty to the dance floor. They danced for what seemed an eternity, until they heard the DJ talk. "Alright guys," he said. "I'm going to sex up this place, so grab your partner or get ready to start dry humping the hell out of the person next to you!"

The statement was received with loud cheers, whistles and some laughs, but Cordelia felt that she was going to die. Misty turned to her and pulled her close, pulling Cordelia's hands to her hips and starting to move. Seconds later Cordelia could feel herself getting into the song, her hips swaying in time with Misty's and the air feeling heavier as their bodies almost melted into each other. As the song played, Misty became more impressed with the woman's movements. Look at that, lil' Cordelia sure knows how to dance. All her attention was fully focused on the shorter woman, both of them dancing away to the song as if their lives depended on it. Their bodies were completely flushed against one another and their hips were moving perfectly to the rhythm of the music. The older blonde was now leading the pace of the dance and Misty couldn't tear her eyes away from how Cordelia's body was moving.

Completely lost in the younger woman's charm and the burning fire in her lower stomach, Cordelia wrapped her arms around Misty's neck and moved closer, burying her face in her neck. "Misty…" she purred, the need to run her hands all over the woman's body taking over her as she tangled her fingers in the woman's hair. The music was loud and the woman didn't hear her, so Cordelia opened her mouth and placed a kiss on the spot where Misty's neck met her shoulder. The Cajun woman looked down at her and bit her lip before taking her hand and dragging her outside the club.

"Well, fuck, I am even drunker than when we left the bar." Cordelia muttered a minute later, stumbling out of the club. "Why on earth did I let you take me here?" she asked the taller blonde, who looked at her with a wicked smile.

"Because I'm a great dancer, remember?"

"Yeah…" Cordelia blushed, remembering their dance moments ago. The way Misty's hips had swayed with hers, the way the ache between Cordelia's legs had become awfully pleasant… Cordelia, you're married, a soft voice said inside her head. But she was too drunk and she didn't care. "I don't think you should drive, Misty… You're drunk too." she said when she saw the taller blonde guide her to her car.

"I drove here, silly." Misty giggled, pulling her closer and putting her arm around Cordelia's waist.

"Yeah, but you weren't drunk. And don't call me silly."

"What are we going to do about the car though? I don't really want to leave it here."

"We can sleep in it," Misty said as they approached the car. "I'll be sober by the morning, we'll just drive home then." she lifted her foot and slipped her fingers inside the black boot she was wearing and pulled the keys out with a flourish before unlocking the car. "We could put the back seats down and lie with our legs in the boot of the car." Misty suggested before actually doing it. Cordelia followed her, both of them settling themselves down in the middle together. "Let me lock the doors," she said, sitting up suddenly and leaning back to tap the driver's side lock down. As she leaned back, Misty was once again confronted by bare skin, this time the skin leading up Cordelia's hip towards her ribcage, as her shirt shifted with the change in position.

"We don't have blankets, or anything though. We're gonna freeze."

"Don't worry, I know how to heat things up." Misty teased, making Cordelia laugh before biting her lip. They were in the back of the woman's car, looking at each other and wanting the other to make a move. If they hadn't had so many drinks -they had lost count after the third one in the club- Misty would have already pinned the woman against a wall and fiercely made out with her, but she needed to test the waters before doing something they -or just the older woman- would regret. Misty was used to drinking that much, she did it almost every weekend, but she wasn't sure if Cordelia had surpassed her limits. "But we can get some sleep, if you wanna..." Please say no, please say no...

"I'm not tired in the slightest."

"Neither am I. What do you want to do, then?" Misty ask, finally slamming the door shut.

"Thank you for saving me from that guy who was trying to make out with me." Cordelia said.

"Nah, don't worry." Misty said. As if I wanted to share such a beauty with some asshole in a club… "Did you see the look on his face? I wasn't sure if he was disappointed that he had no shot with an older woman like you, or turned on by the thought of us dancing like that together."

The headmistress grinned and leaned her head on the headrest of the seat. "Probably both… why do guys feel attracted to older women when they are young but only to young women when they get old?"

"You are too philosophical when you get drunk."

"Oh, shut up."

They remained in silence for some seconds.

"It's called the MILF effect, by the way."

"The MILF effect?"

"Yeah. Because MILFs -Mothers I'd Like to Fuck- know what they want and what guys want, and it's usually the same thing. Like, older women are usually married with kids, and get bored of it. Guys don't look for wives, drama, hang-ups, baggage and relationships, so they go for the helpless and needy housewives. Also, some older women are hot, like you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, those pants are very serious-headmistress-who-could-punish-you."

And there was silence again. A minute later, Cordelia spoke.

"Thank you for talking to me tonight," she said softly, turning her head to look at Misty's face. "I was feeling like shit and I had a good night."

"You're still having a good night. We're not tired yet."

"Good point." Cordelia replied. "You're truly a really great dancer."

"Yeah, we make a hot couple," Misty said.

"Of course we do," Cordelia said, smirking back at Misty.

"Just imagine the hot lesbian sex..." the older woman giggled and threw her head back, gazing up through the sunroof at the few twinkling stars she could see in the New Orleans sky. She was sure that if the younger woman didn't make a move she would lose her mind. "Women know what women like." Misty continued, turning her head to look back at Cordelia. The light from the street lamp outside was shining down through the window, gracing Cordelia's neck with a ghostly luminescence. I really need to fuck you right now… The silence was becoming something usual between them. I shouldn't have drank so much tequila, Misty thought, I can't think of how to do this gracefully. "You're thinking about that lesbian sex, aren't you?" Misty finally asked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively and only half-joking, eliciting a loud laugh from Cordelia.

"Don't give me that," she said, grinning widely. "I'm thinking that, yeah, I want to see what it's like."

"Come closer, then," Misty said, not joking anymore. Cordelia did.

"I don't know why, but I have this weird, uncontrollable urge to kiss you, right now," Cordelia murmured, suddenly looking slightly worried. Misty didn't bother responding with words, she simply smiled and closed the remaining distance to Cordelia's lips, kissing her hungrily. Cordelia sighed happily as she leaned further into the kiss, raising her hand to cup Misty's cheek. The kiss ended, and they lay there for a few moments, looking at each other again, both with the strange sense that something had just changed in the car but not sure if it was the alcohol, the heat of the moment, the moonlight, or the need to feel each other's skin.

"I'm totally doing that again," Misty stated, biting down on Cordelia's bottom lip gently and tightening her grip around the woman's waist before kissing her again, this time even more fiercely. Her hands stopped just below the older woman's bottom, gripping firmly onto the back of the thigh that was resting comfortably in between her legs. "I don't know why that husband of yours cheated on you… You are a sexy, sexy woman, Cordelia Foxx."

Cordelia smiled, biting down on her bottom lip as she glanced at Misty's hand again. She thought for a moment, before moving her own hand down to let it rest on top of Misty's, guiding it to her bottom. She gasped slightly in surprise as Misty's hand squeezed roughly, turning her head back to look at her. Misty's eyes were fixed on Cordelia's neck, wishing to attack it with her lips and teeth as she unashamedly groped the headmistress' backside. "If you don't want to go any further, lil' Dee, then we stop now." Misty said softly, tearing her eyes away from the soft skin of Cordelia's neck and gazing into Cordelia's eyes. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because you're making me want to do other things to you, and I don't know if you'd be entirely receptive to those things." Cordelia was silent, biting down on her bottom lip and letting her eyes trail from Misty's eyes, down her neck, to her chest.

"I am not that drunk, if you are saying that." Cordelia reassured her. "It's not the first time I've gotten drunk in the last month." Misty sighed in relief. "What kind of things?" Cordelia asked curiously, trying not to lose the sexual tension that reigned in the car.

"I'd already have you out of those pants and shirt."

"Tell me what you'd be doing right about now," Cordelia said softly, leaning closer to kiss her.

"Well," Misty said, sliding her hand up past Cordelia's hip to the hem of her shirt. "I'd probably be kissing and sucking on your tits..." she purred, moving her fingers past the shirt and up towards Cordelia's chest. She hesitated for a moment, before letting her hand rest on Cordelia's breast, running her thumb over where her nipple had hardened to make a small mound. Cordelia shivered slightly, moving her hand to rest on top of Misty's.

"I really want you to do that..." she murmured, still biting down on her bottom lip. Misty found that extremely hot.

"Are you sure?" Cordelia leaned forward and kissed her lips hard, pulling Misty over as she rolled onto her back. Their tongues teased each other, battling and playing as they explored each other's mouth. The kiss ended, and Misty smiled down at Cordelia. "I'll take that as a yes." Cordelia laughed softly and watched Misty begin to undo the buttons on her shirt, spreading it apart once it was open. She wore a simple white bra beneath it, and Misty could clearly see her hardened nipples. "Sit up, for a second," Misty said, moving back slightly. Cordelia did as she was told, shrugging her shirt off and leaning back on her elbows, looking up at Misty. The blonde smirked slightly as she shifted across to straddle the woman, reaching around her back with one arm and popping the bra open.

"How did you...?" Cordelia's words died in her mouth.

"This is not my first time, Dee." Misty whispered, slipping the bra straps down her shoulders and tossing it aside. She couldn't help sitting back and just looking at the beautiful, half-naked woman before her. "You are so fucking hot." she murmured, leaning down to kiss her lips again, biting down on her bottom lip and sucking it in before trailing kisses across her jaw line, down to her neck. Cordelia moaned softly as Misty bit her neck gently, sucking her skin in and massaging it with her tongue. She moved her hands up to Cordelia's chest as she focused on leaving bite marks on her neck, trailing her fingertips around the underside of her breasts before rubbing her engorged nipples with her thumbs. Cordelia moaned again as Misty began to trail more kisses and bites further down, from her neck to her collarbone, down to her chest. Without any hesitation, she descended onto Cordelia's left nipple, her tongue darting out to flick it gently. Cordelia shivered, clutching at the back of Misty's head as she sucked her nipple in hard, biting down on it and twisting her tongue around it.

"Oh, God," Cordelia breathed, squirming slightly beneath Misty's weight, "you're so fucking good at that..." she murmured, moaning again. Misty smirked, licking her nipple one last time before sitting up slightly.

"And you sound so fucking hot when you swear" she murmured back, leaning down and kissing her neck gently. Cordelia moaned again as Misty pinched her nipple suddenly.

"Take off your top." Cordelia said in a sigh, her fingers playing with the fringes of Misty's top. Misty grinned back at her before doing as the woman asked, tossing the top aside before snapping her bra apart. Cordelia pulled it from her body and gazed up at her, smiling happily.

"I should have done this before..." Cordelia mumbled, thinking about all the times she had got drunk in college and had declined to participate in her roommate's sexual activities because she had to study and was faithful to Hank.

"You're straight, remember?" Misty replied, leaning down to kiss her again, her stomach jumping wildly as their breasts made contact with each other.

"Mmm, I don't know about that," Cordelia whispered, moving her hands up to twist them through Misty's hair. "I think I'm not entirely straight." Misty laughed softly rubbing her breasts with Cordelia's as she kissed her again. "This is just a drunken indiscretion..."

"Are you sure?"

Cordelia rolled her eyes and suddenly pulled Misty closer, crashing her lips upon hers and kissing her hard. "Stop asking me if I'm sure," she snapped breaking the kiss for some seconds. "If I wasn't I would've told you so a while ago."

"Oh, the hot and severe headmistress is finally appearing…" Misty said playfully.

"And if you don't fuck me soon I'll be forced to punish you." Misty laughed softly, moving her hands down to take Cordelia's wrists and pin them above her head.

"Patience, Mrs Foxx. Foreplay is everything in lesbian sex, you know? I think I'm gonna have to teach you..."

"So, teach me." Cordelia said, struggling slightly at the grip Misty had on her wrists, trying vainly to lean up to kiss her lips again. Misty stayed just out of her reach though, laughing again as Cordelia sank back down with a pout on her face.

"You really aren't used to being controlled like this, are you?"

"My husband and I don't really have passionate sex… we used to, but now we don't." Cordelia said, shrugging slightly. "He is always so boring..." Misty shuddered.

"Please don't talk about your husband when we're like this."

"Sorry." Cordelia said, smiling apologetically.

"Just do me a favour," Misty said softly, leaning down to kiss her roughly again. "Don't think about him."

"I won't." Cordelia replied, kissing her back. "The only person I'm thinking about right now is you."

The blonde smiled in satisfaction as she released her grip on Cordelia's wrists. "I'll make sure to encourage that, then." she kissed Cordelia's lips again before trailing kisses back across her jaw line, nibbling briefly on her earlobe before focusing her attention on her neck as she had done before. As she sucked on Cordelia's skin, the older blonde let out a soft moan, causing Misty's stomach to jump again with pleasure. The younger blonde let her fingertips trail slowly down from the headmistress' collarbone, grazing her nipple gently, before moving further south to play with the skin just below her belly button. Cordelia let out a low sigh of delight, her hips beginning to move around in slow circles, trying to relieve the pressure mounting in her lower abdomen.

"Wait," Cordelia gasped as Misty found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. Misty pulled back immediately and looked down at her.

"You alright?"

"I want, no, I need to get rid of these..." Cordelia mumbled, tugging on her pants. The young woman grinned and moved off her to allow her to lift her hips and push the pants down. Misty pulled the offending piece of clothing off her legs and tossed it aside, trying to go back to what she was doing. "Wait." Cordelia stopped her again.

"What now?" Misty asked. Cordelia smirked and looked down at Misty's still clothed lower half.

"Get rid of those." Misty couldn't help grinning as Cordelia's fingers almost ripped her leather pants open, pushing them down, licking her lips hungrily. The young woman kicked them off and rolled back over to kiss Cordelia again, her fingers resuming their slow path down to Cordelia's centre. Cordelia had embedded her fingers through Misty's curled, blonde hair, her soft moans slowly gaining volume as the younger woman's fingers moved further down. They broke the kiss as Misty's fingers gently began to rub Cordelia's centre through her panties, feeling very satisfied with herself as she felt how damp they were. Cordelia was breathing hard now, and had removed one of her hands from Misty's head to clutch onto her shoulder tightly. "I want to feel you..." she murmured through her moans, her hips rotating against Misty's fingers and her eyes flew open to gaze up at her.

"You don't have to," Misty said softly, ceasing her movements, but still leaving her fingers where they were. "I'm quite happy where we are."

"I want to touch you. I want to make you feel as good as I do." the headmistress said.

"You already are," Misty murmured, leaning down to kiss her again.

"I want to do more," Cordelia murmured back, moving her hand down from Misty's shoulder to cup her breast, mimicking the young woman's movements by rubbing her nipple gently with her thumb. "I want to touch you..." she repeated.

Misty smiled, removing her hand from Cordelia's centre to guide the headmistress' hand down her torso, letting it rest on top of her underwear. Cordelia slowly moved her fingers against her, starting to bite her bottom lip as Misty closed her eyes and moaned softly. The younger woman did the same as she felt Misty's hand move back to where it had been, rubbing her through her panties. They began to kiss again, mouths wide open to each other, touching and tasting each other. Almost at the same time, they let their fingers slip past the other's underwear, Cordelia gasping slightly as she felt how wet and warm the young woman was because of her touch. Their hips were grinding down against their hands as they fell into sync with each other, almost as though each knew exactly what the other wanted. Misty let two fingers slip inside Cordelia, still rubbing her clit with her thumb, while Cordelia's fingers worked away at Misty's clit; up, down, side-to-side, and around in circles in a shy way that started to turn into pure fire as Cordelia gained confidence. Their heartbeats were raising and their breaths were coming out in pants as they continued kissing, their moans growing in volume as each neared their peak.

"Fuck Misty!" the kiss was broken as Cordelia came, groaning and moaning Misty's name out loudly once and again, her hips in spasms as she rode the wave of her orgasm out, withdrawing her hand from Misty's underwear to clutch at the front seat behind her, moaning her name out over and over, clenching her teeth as Misty's fingers continued their thrusting, and her thumb continuing the frantic rubbing, wanting to elicit as pleasurable a response as she possibly could. It was all Misty needed to finish herself off, hearing her say her name over and over again, her own hips shuddering as she ground them down onto Cordelia's thigh, wettening the headmistress' pale skin.

"Ugh, Dee…" she moaned as she came.

As their orgasms subsided and their bodies relaxed, Cordelia collapsed down on her back. Misty smirked slightly as she gently removed her fingers from between her legs before leaning down next to her, raising her fingers to her mouth to lick them. Cordelia looked up at her with her mouth wide open. "Oh, wow, that is..."

"I'm not quite done yet." Misty's smirk widened to a grin as Cordelia raised an eyebrow in a questioning look. Misty didn't bother to continue talking, merely sliding down to come face to face with the woman's centre, pulling her panties aside before moving closer to lick her clean. Cordelia moaned again as Misty's tongue curled itself around her clit, before moving down to lick up every last drop. Satisfied that her job was done, Misty sat up slightly and smirked again. Cordelia had started to love that smirk.

"Well, you are... amazing."

"That's what they tell me." Misty said, winking at her from between her legs.

"Kiss me," Cordelia said softly sitting up to pull her closer. She sighed happily as she tasted herself on Misty's tongue, wrapping her legs around her as she lay back. "That was incredible," she breathed, breaking the kiss and running her clean hand back through Misty's hair.

"Yeah, it was," Misty replied, kissing her chastely. "Not bad, for a straight woman."

"I don't think we can say I'm fully straight right now..." Cordelia murmured, sighing slightly and releasing her legs from around the young woman's waist. Misty raised an eyebrow this time.

"Is that a bad thing?" Cordelia looked up at her thoughtfully, pausing, for what Misty thought was a few moments too long.

"No. But… Hank has never made me come that hard, or made me moan his name out so vehemently." She paused again, the thoughtful look breaking out into a smile, suddenly looking absolutely radiant. Misty sighed in relief and smiled back at her, leaning down to kiss her again, playfully.

"I'll take that as a no, then. But you wouldn't be the first woman to say 'Wow, you're amazing, but I still like the penis.'" Cordelia watched Misty move from between her legs to lie on her side next to her, propping herself up on an elbow, smiling happily as she looked Cordelia's body up and down, her eyes lingering on Cordelia's hips.

"And what do you do when they tell you that?"

"I drive home and show them that I can make them come more times with no need to use a dick."

Cordelia woke up with her face buried in the pillow, her naked body covered with thin cotton sheets. She turned over to get more comfortable in the bed, but landed with her face first on the floor instead. Her eyes opened wide in realization that she wasn't in her queen-sized bed at home. Suddenly she became aware of several things: One, her head was pounding. Two, she was half naked. And three, she had no idea where the hell she was.

She crawled into the bed again, covered herself with the sheets and looked around. A bed, some furniture and a small music player were the main components of the room. Cordelia saw her clothes on the floor, next to Misty's clothes. And then she saw her shawl, and the memories hit her. The karaoke bar, the drinks, Misty, Edge of Seventeen, the drinks, the club, Misty, the dance, the drinks, the car, Misty's lips, Misty's skin, Misty's hands, Misty's apartment, Misty, Misty, Misty.

Cordelia continued glancing around her, seeing her bra hanging from the doorknob and Misty's boots, one in each corner of the room, before spotting a small mirror with the shape of a sun hanging on the wall. Wrapped with the sheet, she stood up and looked at her reflection, the small amount of makeup she had worn the night before was smudged and the bags under her eyes more obvious than ever. The headmistress ran her hands over them, the small amount of vanity that she had inherited from her mother resurfacing. "Shit!" Cordelia exclaimed in a mix of surprise, annoyance and satisfaction when she saw the marks all over her neck and collarbone. Misty had marked her as if she was her property, and though Cordelia had loved having the woman run her lips all over her skin, the headmistress knew that they would become obvious even if she covered them with makeup.

"Put this on when you leave, it will cover the marks." Misty told her from the door. Cordelia jumped in surprise, she hadn't seen her approach. Misty was only wearing blue boyshort panties and held an apple in one of her hands. Cordelia looked at her with her eyes wide open, studying the woman's body carefully. The headmistress bit her lip, remembering the woman's skin under her touch.

"Uh, thanks…" Cordelia muttered, her gaze focused on the younger woman's bare chest as she reached for what Misty was holding in her hands. It was a soft piece of cotton fabric, a light green scarf with small pink and white flowers embroidered on it, Cordelia saw when she took it in her hands. "It's beautiful."

"It matches you well." Cordelia chuckled. "Do you wanna have breakfast?"

"Oh, thanks, but I don't want to be a nuisance." Cordelia left the scarf on the bed and started collecting her clothes, getting dressed under the attentive look of the younger woman. A part of her told her to leave the house or Hank would suspect something, while another part of her played with the idea of staying for a while.

"You ain't gonna annoy me if you stay, Dee. I might not be a one woman's woman, but I sure know how to cook breakfast."

"Okay..."

Once Cordelia had almost all her clothes on -she still hadn't found her shoes and coat- she followed Misty through the apartment, observing the strange, eighties-styled decorations that hung on the walls. The kitchen was small but with enough room for a small table and two stools. Misty indicated Cordelia should sit on one of them and gave her a cup of recently made coffee.

"So," the young woman said, sitting in the counter and still eating the apple. "Was it actually your first lesbian experience or did you lie to me?"

"Uh, it was my first..."

"Whoa, then you are quite a fast learner... But you have had the best teacher, so it doesn't surprise me." Cordelia laughed. "What? It's true, I'm awesome in bed."

"I didn't say you weren't, I just laughed."

"So I was, huh? Some straight women refuse to admit it, but well, they are just girls, not actual women."

"Is there a difference?"

"Duh. The sex is better with older women, they already know some of the moves." Misty explained. "They're cute, huh?" she said with a smug grin when she saw Cordelia staring at her chest again. The headmistress looked up instantly, blushing.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologise, you did more than staring at them yesterday." Cordelia was sure she was referring to the bite marks the headmistress had left when they had finally arrived at the woman's bed. "You okay?"

"Yes. I should go."

"Okay." Misty jumped off the counter and approached her before guiding her to the front door of the apartment.

"Well, uh..." Cordelia said awkwardly, pushing the elevator button and turning to look at the woman who now leaned on the door. Focus on her eyes, don't look down... The elevator made a soft click and Cordelia opened its door. "Goodbye."

"Bye." Misty said with a smirk, and raising an eyebrow. Seconds later she disappeared behind the door. The headmistress sighed and got into the small space, waiting for the door to close as she checked her phone.

'Hank - 1 Missed Call'

"Cordelia!" The younger blonde exclaimed, running to the elevator and holding the door, still only wearing her panties. She reached for Cordelia's arm and held it as she wrote something on it with a marker.

"What's that?"

"My number." Misty said, winking at her before letting the elevator door close.

When Cordelia got home she couldn't stop looking at the number written on her arm. She had had one of the best nights of her life, and though she had managed to hide the bite marks she had on the back of her hand -Misty decided that it would be a great idea to tease her as they drove to the woman's apartment-, Cordelia knew it wouldn't be long until she had to undress in front of her husband. She opened the front door of the house quietly, trying to discover any strange sound coming from upstairs. Ever since the day she had discovered him with the woman, Cordelia had to swallow hard every time she crossed the door. For God's sake, it's my own house. She left the keys on the living room table and walked upstairs, directly to the bathroom where she tried to cover, with makeup, the marks from Misty's lips and teeth on her neck.

A week later, all visible marks of Cordelia and Misty's passionate night had faded. All of them except for the phone number Misty had given to her, now perfectly written on a small piece of paper Cordelia kept in a drawer of her bedside table and that she now read once and again with guilt. She had loved Hank all her life, and still did a month and a half after discovering his affair. But she also wanted to call to that number, willing to see the blonde woman again. She knew it was wrong, she knew it was a mistake, but something in her heart told her to gather some courage.

And two days after, her heart beat her brain and the headmistress found herself calling from her office in the academy, waiting for someone to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" a voice said from the other end of the line. It wasn't Misty's.

"Hi, it's Cordelia. Is Misty there?"

"Yeah. Mist!" the woman yelled as if the headmistress couldn't hear her. "It's the blonde chick from last week!"

"Dana?"

"No, the one you brought here to the apartment!"

"Lisa?"

"No, the one that stayed for breakfast!"

"Cordelia?! Why didn't you say anything?"

"If I had to remember the names of all the chicks you bring here my head would explode." Cordelia rolled her eyes, not unaware of the blonde's promiscuity but exasperated after realizing that Misty told her roommate - friend? lover? - about all of her one-night-stands.

"Dee?" she heard Misty say.

"Hello."

"I had started thinking you wouldn't call."

"Well, uh, I've been busy grading papers."

"If you're going to hide for a week behind a pile of tests every time we go out I'll have to go visit you at that headmistress' office of yours…" Cordelia knew that a grin had formed on Misty's face without even having to actually see the woman. "Anyway, whatcha want darling?"

"Well, I thought you might like to go for a coffee or something?"

Misty raced up to the coffee shop, her hair becoming wet from the rain as she crossed the street in the direction of Cordelia, who waited patiently under a black umbrella, her left hand deep in her coat pocket.

"Sorry for being late. Traffic was awful today and I had to park the car far away from here."

"Don't worry, I am always early."

"Even in the rain?"

"Yes." Cordelia's umbrella was not quite enough to protect both of them from the rain, so by the time they rushed across the puddle-filled street and entered the noodle shop, both of them were beaded with raindrops. The air in the shop was close and heavy with the smell of coffee, and with no waiter or host in sight, Cordelia followed Misty's lead in selecting a cozy corner table and sank into scuffed armchairs. "Is it always this quiet?" Cordelia asked

"Yeah, it's a nice place."

"So, you said you didn't know this area of the city..." Misty started talking.

"No, I don't. Both the academy and my house are at the other side of the city, so I don't usually come to this area unless I visit some friends. Also, the academy keeps me quite busy."

"How old are your students?"

"It depends. Usually sixteen to nineteen years old. What do you do for a living?"

"I work in a friend's record store. Nothing special, just selling vinyls and CDs. We've got a lot of music from the seventies and eighties."

"I like old music, it reminds me of my years in high school."

"Let me guess, you were the juvenile criminal with leather jackets and badass attitude." Misty joked, making Cordelia chuckle. "A cheerleader, maybe? I can totally imagine you with those ponytails and shaking pom poms with a cute uniform on."

"I actually was a nerd." Cordelia said with a smile, blushing slightly. "I had straight A's and was the teacher's pet."

"How surprising."

Some hours later, it was almost eleven and the waiter had started gently hinting at closing time. They gathered their coats and Cordelia's umbrella, which was by now quite dry, and headed out into the street. The rain had stopped, and snatches of streetlights and traffic lights reflected quivering in the closed shopfront windows and the puddles in the road. Cordelia turned around to say goodbye, but Misty silenced her with a gentle kiss. The headmistress reciprocated, both of them enjoying the taste of each other's lips before finally pulling apart.

"I'll drive you home."

"No." Cordelia snapped, knowing that Hank would ask where she had been. She didn't want to make up an excuse that night. "I don't want to go home."

"This movie is awful." Cordelia whispered, leaning over to her date. "The acting is bad, I've counted I don't know how many errors and the plot is predictable. Why did we come see this?"

"Because there's nothing else playing, and you didn't want to watch a horror movie." Misty replied with a smile. They had been meeting for over two months now, and their meetings had become more frequent -Cordelia had told Hank that her best friend from school had returned to the city and they had to catch up- Cordelia let out an exasperated sigh and straightened back up in her seat, feeling how Misty pulled her hand away from where it had been holding onto the headmistress'. Cordelia sighed again, knowing she had pissed off her date and feeling guilty for it. It was then when she felt the hem of her dress push up her thigh. She looked over to see Misty staring straight up at the screen with a smirk on her face, then down to see Misty's right hand working slow circles up her thigh. They were sitting in the back row, only six people were in the theater with them.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cordelia asked in a whisper, scandalized.

"Shhh, you're ruining the movie."

Cordelia gasped as Misty's hand moved further up her thigh, making the headmistress shiver. She knew the blonde woman's intent, and she knew that Misty liked to get what she wanted -and though she knew it was wrong, she wanted to give it to her. She shifted and spread her legs a bit, allowing Misty plenty of access. The woman smiled, not taking her eyes off the screen, and slid her hand up between Cordelia's legs, pushing aside the scrap of material separating her from Cordelia. Her fingers immediately went to work pressing against Cordelia's clit, making the headmistress bite her lip to stifle a moan. Her breathing sped up as Misty circled her sensitive bud with her fingers, an ache building in her abdomen. When she shifted her position again, she could feel the wetness drip out of her.

Misty's fingers slipped lower and Cordelia looked at the blonde with a shy smile, aware of how her own arousal was turning the younger woman on. Cordelia looked back at the movie screen, but couldn't really pay attention to anything but Misty's fingers that were now pushing inside her. A shock wave ran through her body, and Cordelia gripped the arm rest to suppress a moan. Misty pulled her fingers back and started circling Cordelia's clit again. Cordelia let her head fall back and closed her eyes as Misty alternated between thrusting and rubbing. They spent some minutes like this, until the younger woman pulled away, making Cordelia growl. When the headmistress snapped her head to the left to reprimand her, Misty was nowhere to be found. Cordelia jumped when she felt Misty push her legs apart and pull her to the edge of her seat.

"Misty!"

The blonde only smirked and ducked her head underneath Cordelia's dress, pressing her tongue against Cordelia's clit and making her gasp. The fact that they were in a movie theater and Misty was kneeling in front of her, doing God-knows-what with her tongue was driving Cordelia crazy. The headmistress had to bite her lip even harder when Misty pushed two fingers inside of her and curled them to hit that spot - Misty sure knew how to make her come quickly and hard. Cordelia gripped onto the armrests, her knuckles turning white and her lip bleeding from the biting. Her hips had started to have a mind of their own and they bucked hard against Misty's thrusts as Misty's tongue did magical things to her. Ironically, there was an explosion on screen the minute Cordelia felt herself start pulsating around Misty's fingers and the orgasm tore through her entire body, moaning loudly before rushing to cover her mouth. Her body went rigid, and she felt Misty press one last kiss against the inside of each of her thighs as she relaxed. The younger woman then came back up and took her seat up next to the blonde, their eyes locked as Misty slowly sucked her fingers clean and then kissed the woman.

"You taste so fucking good, Dee…" the younger blonde whispered between kisses. "I love it."

"We should go to your apartment."

"No."

"Misty..." Cordelia breathed. Without any warning, Misty got up from her seat and straddled the headmistress' lap, connecting their lips in heated bliss as they explored each other's mouths fiercely. The blonde's hips rocked slowly against the woman's, teasing Cordelia.

"Excuse me." A light was shone on the couple from the aisle and a timid voice followed. "You can't do that here. If you want to, you have to leave." Both women turned around to look at the young employee, a smirk on Misty's lips, who said nothing but removed herself from her lover's lap, taking Cordelia's hand and pulling her out of the theatre and into her car.

"So, when did you decide to be a teacher?" Misty asked as they held hands and walked through the park.

"Well, I guess I just wanted to help the students like my aunt did with me."

"Your aunt is a teacher too?"

"Well, not exactly a teacher, and she's not even my real aunt... But she taught me everything I needed to know, and she treated me like a daughter. She's a mother to me."

"It's nice to have someone to show you the way in life. My mother kicked me out of our house when I was nineteen years old."

"Why?"

"I kinda fucked a girl and they caught us."

"You kinda fucked a girl?"

"Yeah… Doggy style. With a strap-on. In my parents bed. And they are very religious."

"Oh. Wow."

"Yeah. I know."

"Where did you go then?"

"Ryker let me stay at his house as long as I worked in his store for free. Some years later I moved out and asked him for a salary. I don't earn much, but it's enough to pay the rent."

"Well, don't think I earn much money from the academy…"

"You don't?"

"No. We don't have many students or sponsors either, and the government doesn't recognize us as an actual school, so I have to juggle with the finances so we don't have to close the academy."

"That sucks."

"Yes it does. That's why I have so much paperwork sometimes."

"You should show me the academy one day."

"Of course."

"I really want to fuck you on your desk."

"And there goes the romanticism."

"As if our relationship had started in the most romantic way…"

"I know. It's just that- no, don't worry."

"No, Cordelia, tell me."

"No, Misty, it's okay, really."

"Cordelia." Misty pulled her arm, making her turn around and face her, really close to the younger woman. "Tell me, please."

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

"Oh." was the only thing Misty was able to say.

"Please don't get scared. I know that you don't like commitment, and I'm okay with you having more… relationships, but I think that if we continue with this I won't be able to stand it."

"Are you breaking up with me? Because I can stop seeing other people if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No." Cordelia said, cupping the woman's face. "I don't want to break up with you, and I don't want to force you to change your lifestyle."

"Cordelia, you're really important to me, and you're the longest relationship I've ever had."

"I am?"

"Yes! We've been together for six months now, and I've never spent so much time going out with someone. If you want me to stop seeing other people, I will."

"But I don't want you to force you to do anything…"

"Cordelia, you're not forcing me. I am choosing to do this. I love you Dee, okay?"

"You… love me?"

"Yes I do." Misty smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her. Cordelia wrapped her arms around Misty's neck, returning the gentle kiss. "So now we're gonna go have dinner at my apartment, we'll watch one of those sappy movies you like and then we'll go to sleep. And tomorrow you'll go home and talk to your husband, while I'm going to break all the other relationships I have, okay?"

"Okay." Cordelia smiled widely, intertwining their fingers again before resting her head on the taller woman's shoulder and start walking again.

Hank opened the door and immediately turned around, not saying a word to Misty as the woman entered. She followed him to the bedroom, a spacious room on the second floor with white walls and simple furniture, where he started taking his clothes off and tugged her shirt so she would imitate him.

"No." was the only thing she said, pushing his hand aside. "Stop."

"What's wrong, babe?"

"I have to talk with you."

"What? Are you going to ask me to cuddle or something now?!" he asked with hostility, angered by the fact that the woman was saying no to him.

"We're not going to do this anymore."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"You've got to be kidding me. You were the one who started this, you were the one who slept with me!"

"And I am the one who has decided that I don't want to continue having sex with you. Also, it takes two to fuck."

"If it's because of my wife I can leave her, I've never loved her anyway."

"No. You're not leaving your wife because of me."

"Then what do you want me to do, huh?"

"Tell her if you want. I don't care. I just don't want to be with you anymore."

"Is there another person? Who is he?"

"It's a woman, goddamnit!"

"A woman?! Are you fucking breaking up with me for a woman?! You can't do that."

"Yes I can."

"What does she have that I don't?!"

"Everything, Hank. She has everything."

Cordelia opened the door of her house in a rush, determined to tell Hank she wanted a divorce and him to leave the house. Empowered by Misty's last text - 'Three down. Talking to the last one now. I love you xx' - she had decided that after getting all the paperwork done she would talk to her husband and tell him everything she hadn't told him for over six months. She'd tell him everything: that she knew that he had cheated, that she had been cheating on him too, and that she had fallen in love with someone else.

"Hank, I have to tell you someth-" A blonde woman, standing in front of Hank and looking through the window, was there. The phone Cordelia carried in her hands was dropped when the woman turned around and her face was revealed. Misty. Her Misty. The woman she had fallen in love with. Misty was there. Wearing the same top she wore the day before and smoking a cigarette, the younger woman looked at her with confusion. "Misty?"

"Dee…"

"What are you- what- no. This can't be possible."

"Cordelia I can explain, I didn't… I didn't know."

"Do you know each other?" Hank asked as he looked perplexed at both women.

"Shut up." Misty commanded him before approaching the woman. "Cordelia, I-"

"Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me ever again."

"How do you two know each other?" Hank kept asking, until he finally put the pieces of the puzzle together. "Is she? She's the reason you didn't want to fuck me? You were fucking my wife?!" his shocked expression quickly changed to anger as he watched how Cordelia looked at the woman. She had never looked at him like that, the same way that he had never seen Misty look at someone like that.

"I want both of you out of my house." Cordelia said with a soft but commanding voice as she took a travel bag out of a wardrobe and started throwing Hank's things inside. "Now." she threw it to the man and walked outside the room, followed by Misty. Their rushed footsteps filled the house as they approached the front door.

"Cordelia what the fuck were you thinking? You were cheating on me?!"

"As if you weren't."

"Dee, please." were Misty's words as the headmistress opened the door and made a gesture for her to cross it. "Please…"

"OUT!"

Misty quickly rushed to take off the same leather pants she had been wearing the night they had met, noticing how Cordelia studied all the details of her body from behind. The younger blonde turned around to face the headmistress and pushed her against the desk, quickly rushing to melt their lips in a hungry kiss as her hands started to unbutton Cordelia's white shirt. Once the woman's chest was uncovered, Cordelia's hands started to tug on Misty's fringed top, trying to remove it too. They kissed again as one of Misty's hands unbuttoned the woman's pants and slid inside of her underwear, a naughty grin appearing on her face as she discovered the wetness between Cordelia's legs.

"Someone's eager…"

"Shut up." Cordelia hissed, claiming her mouth fiercely as she wrapped her legs around Misty's hips. Misty roughly thrusted a finger inside the woman, making her moan in her mouth. Quickly a second finger followed, and the thrusts became harder and faster. Cordelia moaned again, this time louder as Misty's thumb started to play with her clit. "Fuck." was the only thing Cordelia could say minutes later. "Fuck!"

Cordelia opened her eyes, her own hand cupping her centre and the sheets of the bed covered in sweat. The sun hadn't come out yet, and when she looked at the clock she noticed the empty space in her bed, what had been Hank's side of the bed for years. I'm alone, was Cordelia's only thought. The feeling of isolation and vulnerability, mixed with the fact that she had lived a lie for years -being unhappily married to Hank, who cheated on her, having discovered that she couldn't have kids, her relationship with her mother getting worse, and having fallen in love with her husband's lover- made her cry, just like she had been crying all week.

Misty had spent all week redecorating her apartment with Helena's help, and though her room now looked completely different -all the walls except one were now painted white instead of crimson red, she had thrown away half of her things and she had replaced her murphy bed with a king-sized platform one- there was something that still reminded her of Cordelia. She looked around her, trying to discover what was what made her think of the headmistress. And then she saw it. A small mirror with the shape of a sun, hanging on the wall. The mirror that Cordelia looked at when she had surprised her looking at the marks she had left on their first night together. She still remembered the image of the woman wrapped in the sheets of her bed, her makeup smudged and the bags under her eyes obvious. She looked perfect to Misty's eyes.

The mirror broke in what seemed to be a million pieces that dropped to the floor, stained with blood. Misty looked at her hand apathetically, not caring about the pain that the cuts were provoking or the blood that was covering them. She grabbed a cloth from the floor and covered the cuts as she walked to the bathroom, tears starting to burst as she put her hand under the water.

"Misty, what was that noise?" a shocked Helena asked, entering the bathroom. "Oh God, what happened to your hand?"

"I miss her."

"You miss her? Who?"

"Cordelia?"

"And your hand?"

"I punched the mirror."

"You punched a mirror? Why?"

"Because I miss her."

She missed Misty. Cordelia missed the way her fingers would slowly trail down her back. She missed the way her mouth would slowly work its way up her inner thigh, her breath hot against her centre, anticipation mixing with lust. She missed the way the younger woman's blue eyes would darken with emotion right before she kissed her. She missed the way she had wrapped her arms around her the night after talking in the park, her lips hovering near her ear as she whispered the most precious of words. I love you. Cordelia missed the feel of her body pressed against hers. She looked at the phone, wondering how many times she had thought to call her. To tell Misty that she missed her, that she still loved her, that she could forgive her. But Something always stopped her. Fear. The fear that she didn't miss her the way she missed Misty, the fear that she would have already found someone else. The fear that her body didn't ache for her the way her body ached for the younger blonde's.

Her phone buzzed. Cordelia looked at the screen, a picture of her and Misty appearing on the screen. The headmistress doubted, her hand shaking as she pressed the button.

'I miss you.'

"Hello?" Misty said, picking up the phone.

"Hey Misty, it's Kaylee. I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight?"

"Kaylee, I already told you. We've had a great time together, and you're a really amazing girl, but it's over."

"Why not? Am I not good enough for you, Misty?!"

"Kaylee, you're good enough. I just don't want to go out with you anymore.

"You said that you loved me…"

"I've never said that, and you know it."

"But I love you!"

"But I don't love you."

"Why not? Just give me a reason!"

"I am in love with someone else, Kaylee."

"Misty, please, don't leave me."

"Goodbye." Misty hung up and stared at the phone, her fingers instantly becoming alive and dialing Cordelia's number. "Please answer, please answer…"

"Hello. You have reached Cordelia Foxx, headmistress of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. Unfortunately I cannot take your call right now, but I would like to return it as soon as I can. So please leave me a message after the beep."

"Cordelia, hey, it's me. I know that you said that you didn't want me to talk to you ever again, but I really need to explain. Please call me. I love you."

"Cordelia, hey, it's me. I know that you said that you didn't want me to talk to you ever again, but I really need to explain. Please call me. I love you." Cordelia listened to the message for the fifth time in a row, her face buried against the pillow and the light green scarf damp with her tears, in her hand.

"I swear, my dear girl, that I'd prefer to burn at the stake than listening to that message once again." Myrtle said, entering the room with a plate of soup in her hands. "I told Lorna to cook Galbitang, it will help you to fortify yourself."

"Thanks, but no."

"You haven't eaten anything for days, dear."

"I know."

"Starving yourself to death will take about two weeks, darling. A slow, very painful death where your organs digest themselves, eating all your muscle in your body, until you collapse and you are too weak to get up. A very macabre way to die, in my opinion. Exsanguination is a good method, in my opinion, although shooting yourself could work too."

"Myrtle, are you trying to push me over the edge?"

"I'm trying to give you une demi tasse de realite, darling. Let's be honest. I know that Hank cheated on you, and that one of the reasons -besides being in love with him- that you married him was that your mother didn't like him."

"And again, she was right."

"I don't deny that. But the heart wants what it wants. There's no logic to these things. You meet someone and you fall in love and that's that."

"That's a Woody Allen quote."

"I am not Confucius, my dear."

"What do you suggest I do then?"

"Once your heart heals, make the call."

The phone rang.

"Cordelia?"

"Uh, no." a familiar voice said. "It's Ryker. I need you to work this Saturday morning, if you're not busy."

"Yes, yes, of course, I'll do it."

"She still hasn't called?"

"No."

"We're gonna get drunk on Saturday night and I'll find you a nice chick so you can have a lil' fun then."

"No, Ryke. I am not going to do that. I'd prefer to stay at home."

"Damn girl, you're really head over heels for that chick."

"Shut up." Misty snapped before he hung up.

"He's right, you know?" Helena said, leaving the paint roller on the bucket and approaching Misty.

"Were you listening from the other phone?"

"Yes."

"You're a bitch."

"And you, Misty Day, are truly in love with that Cordelia chick."

Cordelia wandered through the streets of New Orleans with no specific destiny. She looked at the streetlights and heard the laughs that surrounded her, but didn't pay attention. It was the first time she had gone out after fighting with Misty. Myrtle had finally gotten her to eat something before going back to the academy to replace her as the headmistress. And though Cordelia knew the redheaded woman just wanted to help her, she felt even more miserable. She didn't have anything left now. Her love, her job, her habit to everything had vanished. She needed to drink something that made her forget, she needed to drown her sorrows in alcohol until there was nothing to care for. And once again, her mind had tricked her. She had subconsciously ended up standing in front of the karaoke bar where she had met Misty. Cordelia dared to look inside, the familiar figure of Misty standing on the stage, the last notes of a song that Cordelia couldn't recognize fading. The headmistress turned around, unaware that the woman had seen her.

I took my love and took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Till the landslide brought me down

After finally sighting her secret refuge, Misty pulled Cordelia into the small hut placed next to the swamp, both women drowned in love and laughter. Misty tugged at Cordelia's shoulders, trying to pull them as far inside the tiny shelter as possible after she noticed that she still had to fix the leaks of the roof. When Misty's back hit the humid wood, Cordelia fell flush against her, hands settling on Misty's hips.

"I told you it was supposed to rain," Cordelia said between laughs.

"Was that before or after you explained the proper order of doing paperwork? Because I may have zoned out..."

"Hey." with her best look of disapproval, Cordelia slapped Misty's hip. The laughter had slowed to quiet, nervous giggles. Misty felt the headmistress' knees brushing her own. They had to stand close together; the hut offered little room without risk of getting wet. Thank God for the leaks. Strands of damp hair had fallen into Misty's face, and Cordelia raised her hand up and ghosted her fingers across Misty's cheek, pushing the golden hair away. She slipped her fingertips behind Misty's ear and grazed them along her jaw before dropping her hand to her side. "I like coming here." Cordelia stated, her gaze drifting between the muddy place and Misty's face.

"Me too." Misty said. Cordelia smiled and dropped her head against Misty's shoulder. "It's our secret refuge."

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

A flush rose up Misty's neck as she lifted her shaking hand from Cordelia's shoulder and slid it behind her head, her thumb resting behind her ear. Cordelia's gaze rose up and met hers, and she smiled. Misty couldn't stop the grin forming on her lips as she studied the other woman's features. Sweaty skin, damp hair strands stuck to her face, pouty lips that just looked so kissable. Cordelia's gaze captured hers and she bit her bottom lip. Her hip grew warm and she realized the woman's hand had traveled there. Cordelia smiled and chewed on her lip before rising up on her toes and pressing her lips against Misty's before pulling away. Misty smiled and dropped her head, pressing her lips against Cordelia's again. The next time, the shorter blonde kept her mouth open, taking Misty's upper lip between hers. She held it in her mouth, pursing her lips as she tugged on it. Eyes closed, she pulled away again. Misty gazed at Cordelia's lips, glistening with her own saliva, and felt warmth flood her chest from the inside out. She tightened her hold on the back of the woman's neck and tugged Cordelia's head toward her own. The next kiss had obviously disoriented Cordelia; it was messy, sticky, and sloppy, their lips dragging over each other. It wasn't like the other kisses they had shared. That one had love in it.

Well, I've been afraid of changing

'Cause I've built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I'm getting older too

Misty threw that memory aside and thought back to when it all started, the night she had met Cordelia. She had sung Edge of Seventeen, her favorite song, the one that had made her smile every time she had been heartbroken in the past, or when her mother had decided that she wasn't welcome in their house. But that night was different. Misty missed the woman, who had become the highlight of her life in just six months. She missed the warm smile she gave her when Misty lovingly pulled her between her arms, or when she got bored and decided that Cordelia had to take a break from work. And in that night filled with memories, she couldn't sing any other song. The notesfelt like daggers in her heart, but she didn't care.

I take my love, take it down

I climb a mountain and turn around

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Will the landslide bring you down

She remembered the touch of Cordelia's lips, the way she called her 'honey' even though it sounded too sappy, and the way her fingers ran up and down Misty's body when they lay on the bed, sharing soft and gentle kisses after having had sex. She remembered how the headmistress frowned when she was focused on paperwork, and how she was always apologizing when she thought she had done something wrong during sex, even though Misty had told her that it was okay. She remembered the woman's brown eyes, and the taste of her lips. She remembered Cordelia, and she smiled for a second at the bittersweet memories before continuing singing.

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Will the landslide bring you down, oh, oh

The landslide bring you down

The last note faded, and Misty's eyes travelled through the bar to finally find the stool Cordelia had been sitting in that night. Ryker and Helena had convinced her to approach the woman, knowing that either she would end in a fight with the woman's boyfriend or she'd end leaving the bar with her. Her eyes moved from the stool to the door when she heard it open, but disappointment came when she saw a couple entering the bar. It was then when she saw her. Standing outside, a blonde woman looked at her, but started to walk away before Misty could recognize her. And though her mind wasn't sure, her heart told her that it was Cordelia. When she finally got outside the bar, the woman was gone.

Later that night Cordelia heard some incessant knocking at the door, but she was barely awake to do something about it. She closed her eyes and try to sleep, but she found herself incapable. What if the person outside was injured? What if it was some urgency related to the academy? What if Fiona had decided to show up after so many years? No, not Fiona, Cordelia begged to a god she didn't believe in. The knocking stopped. Just as Cordelia closed her eyes, she heard it again. And not just knocking, but her name being yelled by a female voice that she knew well.

Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw behind the door when she finally opened it. Misty Day was standing in her door, and Cordelia noticed her eyes seemed to be focused on a point in the horizon. Not forgetting her hate towards the woman but knowing that she couldn't let her freeze outside, Cordelia grabbed her hands and pulled her, but when the woman took one step she wobbled. "Misty, are you drunk?" The younger woman just nodded her head and then groaned. Cordelia dragged her inside and sat her on the couch, telling her that she'd be back quickly. After making some sandwiches and grabbing some aspirin, the headmistress returned to the living room. "Eat this." she ordered with no caring tone in her voice. Looking at her, Misty grabbed one of the pieces of toast and devoured it. It's only then that she decides to talk.

"Hi, Cordelia."

"Hello."

"I wanna talk to you."

"No."

"Why not?"

"You're drunk. Go to sleep, the couch is all yours."

When Cordelia opened her eyes in the morning and ran downstairs, Misty wasn't on the couch. Just when she had started to freak out, see finally spotted her in the kitchen, wearing an apron. Misty smiled bitterly and sat on one of the chairs, making a gesture for Cordelia to do the same. Cordelia did, observing the plate with pancakes and the mug with coffee in front of her. The headmistress started eating, finding it impossible to take her eyes off Misty. Then the younger woman spoke.

"I saw my mom". that's how she decided to start the conversation. "I knew I was bisexual since I was fourteen. I just knew it. I looked at girls the same way I looked at boys, although my eyes always lingered on girls more. I could never be myself because my family would never accept me and people of their community would be mean to me. Then my mom caught me with a girl, and I moved to the city. I began a new life. New Orleans was my fresh start. No one knew Misty Day. No one knew who I was and what I been through. It was good. So I started to be myself. I looked at girls and I didn't feel guilty. I cut my hair really short, I dyed it red. I moved in with a girl, we lived together for two months -that's how long our relationship lasted. I moved out with Ryker again. I let my hair grow longer and I dyed it blue. One night I had an accident in my car, and in the hospital I met another girl. We dated for two weeks. My hair grew longer and longer, and the blue dye faded more with each relationship and breakup I had. I decided not to dye my hair anymore, and not to have any serious relationship. Everything went okay for many years.

Then I fell in love with you. I don't know why, but you caught my attention. Ryker and Helena told me that you'd be an excellent one-night stand, and though I thought that at first I fell in love with your kindness, and I realized that I didn't want to use you as I had done with other women. After we broke up I felt that I had no direction. I started drinking a lot, but Ryker and Helena made sure I didn't become an alcoholic. They said that I couldn't waste my life like that, that if I did you'd never love me again.

So yesterday I went home, and when I entered the apartment my mom was there. My father had died. She was ice cold with me. She told me that she was staying in an hotel and that my father's funeral would be today, and I could go as long as I went alone. We yelled at each other, and I left. The bar was closed, but I found another that was open all night. I needed to drink something to take away the pain. One drink became too many, and I couldn't go to the swamp hut without thinking of you. I haven't gone there since we broke up. So I decided to come here. The rest of it you know. I'm sorry, Dee. I shouldn't have showed up that way in the middle of the night. I just hoped you would understand. The alcohol was supposed to make me forget, but I just couldn't forget you."

Cordelia didn't know what to do, so she let her instincts take over and hugged Misty. They stayed there for a long time, the younger woman crying and Cordelia hugging her, rubbing her back and whispering that it was okay. After a while Misty calmed down and left, leaving Cordelia alone. And though the headmistress still hated her, she knew she also loved her too, and that that wouldn't change for a long time.

Misty had spent the last three days thinking about what to say to the headmistress, and though she had thought of calling her many times, she knew that she couldn't just say it on the phone. She needed to see Cordelia. And so she walked through the yard of the house with a bouquet of roses in her hand, repeating the small speech she had prepared repeatedly as she approached the front door. She rang the bell and waited for some minutes, until the door finally opened.

"Can I help you?" a maid asked.

"I'm looking for Cordelia Foxx, is she home?"

"No she's not." a redheaded woman said. She was dressed in an elegant, high couture outfit, and Misty knew, thanks to the vintage cat eye glasses, that she was Cordelia's aunt, Myrtle.

"Myrtle Snow, I guess."

"That's Madam Snow for you, Misty Day. Come in." Misty followed the woman to the living room, where she took a seat on the couch. The house looked as it had always done.

"Well?" said Myrtle, taking a seat in front of her. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Misty asked, rather more aggressively than she had intended. "Ma'am?" she added, in an attempt to sound more polite.

"Your feelings for Delia. Are you really in love with her?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, ma'am" Myrtle studied the younger woman's face, trying to find something that indicated that she was lying.

"Have a biscuit, Misty."

"Have - what?"

"Have a biscuit," she repeated impatiently, indicating a tartan tin of cookies lying on top of one of the piles of papers on her desk. "Lorna made them herself." Misty forced herself to grab one of the biscuits -she wasn't sure that they weren't poisoned-, feeling just as confused and wrong footed. "Misty, you need to be careful with Cordelia." Misty swallowed the cookie and stared at her. Her tone of voice was not at all like before; it was not brisk, crisp and stern; it was low and anxious and somehow much more human. "She's a fragile woman. She is kind and loving, but she can be a little foolish sometimes. And after what happened with Hank, and I really hope you're ashamed of what you did, she probably won't be able to stand having her heart broken again."

"Ma'am Snow, I don't want to hurt Cordelia. I truly love her."

"She's at the academy."

"What?"

"The roses, dear. You should give them to her today, or they'll die."

When Cordelia heard someone knocking at the door of her office, she didn't even bother to tell the person to come in. If it was important, they would enter without waiting for an answer. And they did. The door opened, and Misty appeared, a bouquet of red roses in her hand and her hair wet from the rain.

"Misty, what the hell are you-"

"Cordelia, listen to me. I love you. I know that I made a mistake sleeping with Hank, and I swear that I didn't do it on purpose. I know that it's going to be hard for you to trust me again, but I really need to try this. I am really in love with you. I haven't felt this way for someone in a long time, and I don't want to lose what I have with you. I am not going to ask for things to be as they were before, or that you love me as you did. I just want a date."

"A date?"

"A first date. You and me in a nice and expensive restaurant, having dinner. Then I'll drive you home and you decide if you want to call me back. No pressure, no need to have a second date. Just one opportunity."

"Okay."

"Are you sure?"

Cordelia approached her and took the bouquet in her hands, smelling the flower's scent and smiling widely. She loved Misty more than she had ever loved anyone else. And though she had been hurt, she knew that her heart would heal someday, and though Misty was the reason she had been heartbroken in the first place, she also was the cure it needed.

"I have never been more sure."

TWO YEARS LATER

Cordelia wasn't the kind of person who celebrated special events getting drunk. Although she still couldn't believe what she was celebrating at that moment. What could the headmistress of a small academy do in a karaoke bar, dressed with her usual white shirt and black pants, getting drunk with Misty's friends and ignoring the man who was practically murdering a Kylie Minogue song? For Cordelia, the answer to that question was in the depths of the beer she held in her hand. It had been a year, and though they knew it still was soon, Cordelia knew things would never be the same after that afternoon. She felt loved, she felt happy, and she felt alive.

The headmistress wondered for how much time Misty had been thinking to marry her. Weeks or months, maybe a year, Cordelia couldn't stop thinking about how happy she had been. They had been together for two years and a half, and Cordelia had never noticed anything different in Misty's loving behavior, or had seen anything strange in the last month. As Cordelia took another sip of the beer, her eyes never leaving her fiancée, a voice cut through the air.

"Hey, guys! I've got something to say!" Ryker said, standing up from the chair. "I've always thought that Misty was selfish, impatient and a little bit of an asshole. She has obviously made mistakes, and sometimes I honestly thought that she would never find someone who would actually stand her more than a week. And I say this from the bottom of my heart, even though I really, really love Misty. No need to worry 'bout that, Cordelia, I friendzoned her years ago." he joked, winking to the headmistress.

"But dude, after fifteen years of friendship I've been proved wrong. Cordelia is one of the most kind and loving people I've ever met, and I'm really proud to welcome her to this lil' family of ours. She might not be as tough as us, but she sure is a marvelous woman. She has made Misty, our badass Misty, as happy as a kid in a candy store. I've seen them look at each other with the purest love that can exist, and also basically eye fuck each other. I swear that they forget about the world when they're together. Anyway, this toast is not only to Misty and Cordelia, but also to lying, stealing, cheating and drinking. If you're going to lie, lie for a friend. If you're going to steal, steal a heart. If you're going to cheat, cheat death. And if you're going to drink, drink with me."

When Ryker's toast ended, everyone drank the remains of their drinks and asked for another round. Helena stood up and walked to the bathroom, and Misty took the chance to sit next to the headmistress, who rested her head on the younger woman's shoulder. "I love you." she whispered. A few drinks after, a man introduced a song that sounded extremely familiar to the headmistress and made Misty jump.

"Oh, that's our song!" Misty exclaimed when she heard Edge of Seventeen start to play, winking at Cordelia before dragging her to the small stage of the bar. It's true what people say, Cordelia thought. Love is hard to find, hard to keep, and hard to forget, but if it is true love, it is worth it.

THE END