Chapter Thirteen - Who is This Woman?

I was woken up by a slight knock on my door. For a moment, I had no idea where I was until I remembered I was at home. Then it all came flooding back: the kiss with Alex on the couch downstairs after my mother went to bed, how we had held each other, talked softly, and shared dreams until sleep overtook us. A smile crept onto my face, and I bit my lower lip, relishing the memory.

The knock on the door brought me back to reality, and the door suddenly opened. I jumped up in bed. "Mom!?"

My mother smiled apologetically. "Sorry, honey. I made breakfast for us. Wanna join me?"

I furrowed my brows. "Just us?"

She nodded. "Yes, just us."

I went to the bathroom to do my morning routine, feeling a pang of disappointment that Alex wouldn't be joining us. I laughed at what I sounded like. Just last week, I would have given anything for time alone with my mother, but today I was sad that Alex wasn't there. It was funny how quickly things changed. I headed downstairs to join my mom.

The dining table was covered with a full-on breakfast spread: pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh fruit, and coffee. I smiled at my mother and thanked her. We sat there eating in silence for a few minutes until I noticed my mom looking at me strangely. I furrowed my brows. "What is it, Mom?"

She shrugged and asked, "Are you feeling better now?"

For the first time in a long while, I smiled a genuine smile. I told her how I had taken her advice and found the woman from Paris, explaining how talking to her had made me feel more positive and excited about the whatever was to come. My mother listened attentively, taking a bite of her toast, before she asked, "Have you talked to Mpumi?"

"Yes, mom." I said, feeling better that I stopped whatever we were trying before anything more than a kiss happened.

My mother leaned back, sipping her coffee as she watched me. "So, who is this woman that has you wrapped around her finger?" she asked. "I remember how it took me my whole life and salary to try and get you out. I want to know about this woman who came into your life and crashed these walls you built."

I swallowed hard, my eyes drifting to the window. The weather was a bit sunny, but small clouds lingered in the sky, hinting at an eventual downpour.

"I mean, this woman gave you no chance to think about anything else, had you burying yourself at work sometimes," she added, her curiosity evident.

I sighed, feeling the weight of the moment pressing down on me. What could I say? How could I possibly explain that the woman I had feelings for was the same woman my mother had cheated on when she was younger? How would she take that news, especially after she admitted she still hoped they would fix thing with Alex?

Damn it! This was more complicated and scarier than I thought.

My mother was my best friend, and now us having feelings for the same person was just insane. It was going to ruin our relationship. The question that gnawed at me deep down was: would I allow that to happen?

"Mom," I started, my voice shaky. "This... this woman, she's different. She makes me feel things I didn't know I could feel. Makes me want to do things I wouldn´t normally do."

My mom raised an eyebrow, setting her coffee cup down. "Different how?"

I knew why my mom was asking, I've never had interest in someone the way I was describing now, I mean besides Sophia, whom I didn’t even allow or give a chance to explore what we had. I've always been a career girl, always wanted to have my life figured out before I could talk about relationships. Since my fling with Sophia, I became closed off. So, I wasn't surprised by my mom asking all these questions.

I took a deep breath, deciding to be as honest as I could without revealing everything. "She's... she's confident and kind and beautiful. She sees me, really sees me. It's like she knows me better than I know myself sometimes, and it's so weird because we have only known each other for a bit. But with her I feel things. I want this with her, I don't care if my life is not figured out yet."

"Sounds like she's really something, even more that Sophia because you didn’t want to pursue her," my mom said softly. "But why do I get the feeling there's more to this story?"

I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. "There is more. Mom, the thing is... It's complicated. Things aren't as easy as they were in Paris. Now, back here, we're faced with our lives and our pasts."

My mother sighed before giggling a bit, "What past do you have, Lizzy? You literally pushed away what could have been an amazing relationship with Sophia 5 years ago. Mpumi is the only girl you talked to without anyone forcing you to. So, the new woman must have a dark past or something."

I laughed a bit at her joke and decided to change the subject since I didn't want to talk about my feelings for Alex or even thinking about how uncomplicated things would have been for me and Sophia had I went to look for another doctor. I would probably still be with her now. Would have said no to Alex and I wouldn’t have to worry about crushing on my mom’s ex-girlfriend.

"Why are we alone today? Where is your roommate?" I changed the subject.

"Went to see her family. There's a little bit of bad air since she left for London, hence she stays here, but I guess now that she's here, she'll try and rebuild that bridge. Back then, they weren't supportive of our relationship."

My heart broke a bit thinking about a teenage Alex staying with a homophobic family. I was so lucky to have my mother, who loved me as I am regardless of who I was dating.

"Thank you, Mom, for loving me as I am and for being a cool mom. I can't imagine my life without you."

She extended her hand over the table to take mine. She squeezed it a bit. "You don't have to think about that because I'm not going anywhere. You are my angel, now and forever."

I internally hoped she'd still think this if Alex and I decided to pursue a relationship and tell everyone. Because I couldn't imagine my life without her.

I sighed and took my phone out. "I need to text Lena, I miss my actual best friend."

My mother got up and came to pull me into a hug, "okay, I will ignore that, next weekend you can come. I will be here. Also, talk to me about this Paris woman and tell me if she feels the same way."

"I will. I love you mom."

...

This weekend had been one of the best I’d had in a long time. Kissing Alex, feeling that undeniable connection between us, was a huge part of why it was so great. But as much as I was drawn to her, I knew I wanted to take things slowly. We had time to explore this connection without rushing into anything, especially not into each other's beds. There was more to this than just physical attraction—there was something deeper, something worth taking the time to understand.

As I finished fixing my clothes for work the next day, I found myself thinking about Alex. She was with her family, reconnecting after thirty years. I couldn’t imagine how intense that must be for her. Part of me wanted to reach out, to make sure she was okay, but I also didn’t want to seem overly eager or intrusive.

Finally, I decided to send her a text, something light and caring without coming across as desperate. I typed the words carefully, considering each one before I could hit any send:

Me: Hey you, so, I didn’t see you at breakfast. Would have loved to. Hope you had a good day though. Xoxo.

I re-read the message a few times, debating if it was too much or too little, before finally gathering the courage to send it. As soon as I hit send, I took a deep breath and placed my phone down on the bed, determined not to obsess over how quickly she would respond.

The last thing I wanted was to come off as needy or creepy. But deep down, I couldn’t help but hope that she was thinking about me, too. The waiting was the hardest part, but I knew that whatever happened next, it was important to let things unfold naturally.