Page 8 of Heal You (The Study You #3)

She still found herself unable to reach out to Gillian and Finn again, so here she was…

hoping for the support Morgan had so selflessly offered on Monday.

Right now, Jan only hoped she didn’t find herself an emotional wreck in Morgan’s flat, as she had on the previous occasion.

Even though she rarely showed her emotions, she felt safe doing so with Morgan.

Jan couldn’t put her finger on why she’d felt drawn to come here this evening, but she was just going to go with it.

It was just a drink, and Morgan had already invited Jan over.

Maybe she would even gain a friend out of this.

Your real friends are going to hit the roof when they find out about this.

Jan had her reasons for keeping her separation from Gillian.

Finn, too. They’d had a rough time of it over the last several months, and she simply didn’t have the heart to put this on them.

They were just getting back into life with one another.

Jan’s issues could wait. She could deal with it all herself.

She cleared her throat and stepped towards the bar. A guy she’d seen working here before smiled back at her, and then he approached. “Hi. What can I get you?”

“Oh, I’m looking for Morgan. Is she out tonight?” Jan frowned, both disappointed and relieved. Morgan wasn’t expecting her, Jan hadn’t even bothered to send a message before she’d left the house, but Morgan had said she could show up.

“R-right. I see.” He grinned and took his phone from his back pocket.

“I’ll just let her know you’re here.” He eyed Jan as he tapped the screen, that smile not fading.

And then Jan realised that Morgan was here, and she was about to come face to face with her, flower arrangement and all.

“You seem much nicer than the other one. For a start, you’ve brought her flowers. Nice touch.”

Jan looked down at the flowers and then back up at the bartender. “I’m sorry?”

“You’re her date, no?” He frowned. “I mean, nobody else brings her flowers.”

“I, uh…I’m just a friend of Morgan’s.” Jesus. Did Morgan put herself about, or was this guy just not selling her very well? “If she’s busy, though…”

“She’s not. She’s upstairs, on her own, in that bloody flat. She rarely leaves this building unless she has to get supplies in.” His phone pinged. “She’ll be down now.”

Jan hesitated between the bar and the exit.

Was she making a mistake coming here? Had Morgan really wanted to invite her over, or was she just being polite?

Either way, Jan appreciated it. Then there were the very brief thoughts she’d had since Morgan had told Jan she’d been attracted to her.

Of course Jan had noticed Morgan the first time she walked through the door and on several occasions since, but Jan hadn’t been with a woman in what…

thirty years? A very brief fling during her university years with a woman called Antonia had been probably the greatest sex of her life, but that had been a long time ago.

She’d lived an entirely different existence since then.

Jan couldn’t even say she was bisexual. There had been precisely one woman in her forty-eight years on this earth, and as she stood here, she wasn’t sure she could even remember what to do when it came to sex with another woman.

Oh, I bet you Morgan could show you a thing or two…

Whoa. Where the hell had that thought come from? Jan swallowed as she looked at the bartender, wondering if she’d said something out loud that should have remained firmly in her mind.

“She shouldn’t be long.” He smiled. “Have a seat, and I’ll get you a drink?”

The door to Morgan’s flat suddenly opened. She looked up at her, flashing a full smile when Morgan rested against the doorframe and stared back at Jan. “H-hi. I’m sorry for just showing up.”

Morgan poked out her tongue and ran it over the ring in her bottom lip as she lifted a brow. “Nice flowers. They’re not from the husband, are they?”

Jan snorted. “God, no. Even when we were together, he rarely brought me flowers.” Jan started towards Morgan, suddenly feeling a little hot and bothered. Morgan wore nothing but a tank top and a pair of short gym shorts. “They’re for you. From me.”

“Oh, Jan.” Morgan tutted as she stepped closer and took the flowers from Jan. “You do realise that when you bring a lesbian flowers, it means we’ll be living together within the next two weeks, right?”

That was precisely what Jan needed tonight.

Humour. Actually, she suspected that humour would be her go-to for the foreseeable future.

“Oh, two weeks?” She sighed. “I have my luggage in the car. I was hoping that you , the strong lesbian, could take it up the stairs for me. I wouldn’t want to break a nail. ”

Morgan barked a laugh and stepped aside. “It’s good to see you again.”

“I came over because I thought you were working. Sorry to interrupt your night off.” Jan felt stupid for not texting Morgan first. If she’d known she had the night off, she would have left her in peace.

“Anyway, I just wanted to bring the flowers over and say thank you again for Monday night. It meant a lot.”

“The flowers are gorgeous, but you didn’t have to do this. I invited you up on Monday because you needed someone to talk to. And I’d do it again.” Morgan reached out and squeezed the hand at Jan’s side. “You’re not alone, okay?”

Jan chewed her lip as she looked back at Morgan. “I’m sure you don’t want to, but would you like to go for a walk or something?”

Morgan wore a huge smile. “You know what, I would. I’d like that.”

“Okay, well, I’ll wait here until you’re ready.” Jan hopped up onto a stool and placed her bag on the counter. “Don’t rush or anything. I don’t exactly have anywhere to be.”

“You can come up if you like?” Morgan threw a thumb over her shoulder as she half-turned. “I just need to throw some pants on and grab a jacket.”

Jan decided to decline. Morgan wore the bare minimum, and Jan found herself looking in places she shouldn’t.

It wasn’t anything to worry about; Morgan was an attractive woman, but Jan still knew it would be for the best if she waited down here.

With the headspace she was in, she had no idea what she could be capable of. “Really, I’m okay here.”