Chloë seemed unsure whether or not to believe her but eventually she nodded.
“I think I’ll drive,” she said with a smirk. “Can’t have you pa
ssing out on the freeway because of low blood sugar.”
But as Chloë turned towards the door, Morgan said, “Wait.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I have a confession to make.”
Chloë tilted her head, waiting.
“I saw you with Sienna,” Morgan started. Noticing Chloë’s brows knit in confusion, she went on. “I happened to be downtown when I saw you and her go into that bar.”
“Okaaay,” Chloë said. “Well, why didn’t let me know you were around? You could have stopped and had a drink with us.”
Morgan nodded.
“That probably would have been nice,” she said. “But—and this is where my confession comes in—I was too upset to think about doing that.”
“Upset?” Chloë asked. “Why would you be—wait…did you think I was cheating on you?”
“No,” Morgan answered hastily, but then admitted, “Yes. Maybe? I don’t know.”
“Sienna and I just went to the beach together, Morgan, that’s it!”
“Okay, I get it. But…I didn’t know that then, did I? In fact, I didn’t know what I was seeing.”
“Is that what you think I would do? You think I’m the type of person who would wait for you to leave town and then spend the day screwing around with someone else?”
“Chloë, I—”
“Sienna and I are just friends, Morgan! She was bored today and so she called me and we hung out. That happens all the time! What, am I supposed to stop seeing my old friends now that you and I are together? Are you cutting me off from people I care about?”
“Of course not!” Morgan exclaimed. With a huff of frustration, she started pacing in the short hall connecting her foyer to the living room. “But you need to cut me some slack here, Chloë!”
Now it was Chloë standing with arms crossed, her weight balanced on one leg, glaring at Morgan.
“Why should I cut you some slack?” she asked. “You’re the one jumping to conclusions and thinking I’m the type of person to cheat on someone.”
“And I’m sorry for that,” Morgan said, stopping her pacing and turning to face Chloë. “I really am, but you need to keep something in mind.”
“And that is…?”
“Sienna is not just some innocent, garden variety friend, is she? She’s a friend you have sex with!”
“Not when I’m in a relationship!” Chloë snapped.
“Oh my god, don’t be such a naïve child!” Morgan snapped back. “You can imagine how it looks to the woman you’re dating when she sees you hanging out with someone you casually have sex with!”
The two women stood there staring at each other for a few quiet seconds, their chests rising and falling a bit faster than normal, the tension between them palpable. Morgan wasn’t sure if it was her imagination but Chloë’s eyes seemed to be glistening more than usual and Morgan wondered if unfallen tears were the cause.
Morgan closed her eyes and mentally counted to five.
“I’m sorry I called you a naïve child. I just realized how horrible that sounds. Please forgive me.”
Chloë nodded.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
Morgan took a deep breath, wanting desperately to put things right while also making sure Chloë understood her point of view.