The call with Georgia went shockingly well. Part of that was because after maybe 15 minutes of chatting and me mentioning a girlfriend that was already living with me who had escaped a bad home life, she insisted on meeting her. I could tell what she was thinking already. I was repeating the same relationship I had with Lylah, but this time Izzy was me and I was Lylah. I was already sinking into a pit of hopelessness as Izzy introduced herself to Georgia on the laptop screen. I just stayed quiet, trying not to cry while praying that Georgia's misgivings were unfounded.

"Izzy, do you understand why I'm worried about Trish? And about you for that matter?"

"Of course. Were I in your position, I would be too. We both acknowledge that we're moving fast. If anything, we're moving faster than she did in her previous relationship," Izzy said happily.

Georgia just looked at her, confusion evident on her face. "You seem to be alright with that though."

"Yes. I am. The situations may look the same to you, but they're not. Trish had been watching Lylah for years, and already had a crush on her. I only saw Trish a few months ago after the shark incident, and only then did I start looking at her older videos. The one that got to me was the one where she bared her soul to the world and admitted her mistakes for everyone to see. That took so much courage that it gave me the inspiration to make a swimsuit line for her. I had no idea if she would even agree to it, I just needed to do it because she inspired me. Not to mention, I have a job, and while I didn't love it, a place to stay. I'm not staying with her because I have to, I'm staying with her because there is nothing better than being in her arms all night."

"Are you saying that you weren't having a crush on her because of her beauty?" Georgia asked, a little smirk on her face.

"Georgia, I'm a photographer at a swimsuit company. I've seen gorgeous women parading around me in next to nothing for almost four years, and never once did they affect me like Trish did. Because it wasn't her looks that captured my attention, it was everything else about her. Yes, she's stunning, and I'm thrilled to call her my girlfriend, but if looks were all I wanted I could have dated any of the other models at the agency," Izzy explained.

My heart pretty much was doing the merengue at this point, because I was in shock with how much thought she'd put into this. I couldn't help that a few happy tears leaked out of my eyes while I listened to her. Fuck! She made it so hard not to scream about how much I cared about her when she spoke so passionately!

Georgia was quiet for a moment as she looked at us while we snuggled on the bed. "Trish. I have to admit, when you told me you already started dating, I was a little worried that you were going too fast. But Izzy, unless everything you said was the most convincing lie ever, I approve of you. I think you're exactly the person Trish needs right now."

"Thank you, Georgia," I said as my happy tears clouded my eyes. "I think she's pretty amazing too. Maybe we just got really lucky." I had every intention of kissing her for the rest of the day. Damn she was so good for me!

"I want you to keep in touch though. I know this is new to both of you, but you've both been through a lot, and I don't want this to grow into something toxic. You need to be open and honest. No hiding anything or it will fester," she admonished us.

"I know! I learned that lesson! I'll tell her everything I'm feeling, even if it seems hard to do. I promise," I assured her quickly. If there was one thing I knew, I wouldn't let my self-doubts cripple me again. I'd already had good talks about my insecurities with Izzy, and I had little doubt that I'd have more with her. She was so honest that I was sure that she'd do the same with me.

"Excellent! Then let's talk about something else. Now, this might be a difficult conversation, but Thanksgiving is coming up, and it sounds like neither of you really have any family to spend it with. Do you have any ideas of what you might do?"

I looked at Izzy, and she turned to me at the same time. We hadn't talked about that yet, so I had no plans. "I guess I have everything I'm thankful for right here," I told Georgia. "Maybe we'll just have a little turkey on the beach."

"I like that idea!" she whispered and cuddled back into me.

"Are you still considering your parents' invitation for Christmas?" Georgia ventured.

"Not really. They only invited me because they think I'm straight and dating Max. If I showed up with Izzy on my arm, it would be the shortest Christmas dinner ever," I scoffed.

"It very well might be. But at least you'd have closure, right?"

"I'll tell you what, if they call again, and understand I'm not straight, and not dating Max, then I'll consider it. But that is the best I can do. I don't know if I can forgive them for kicking me out."

"That seems fair. They should have to earn you forgiveness and show that they've changed and are ready to support you," Georgia noted.

I just laughed. "Georgia, if they've changed, I'll be shocked. If they call and invite me again, then I'll see. I have Izzy now, so I can handle anything."

We talked for a few more minutes before we ended the call, so Izzy and I went out to join Erin in movie watching.

Since Izzy hadn't seen too many movies, we'd all decided to watch some of the Disney Pixar films, because they were good for all ages, and in most cases are very rewatchable. We'd already gone through all the Toy Story movies, and tonight was going to be my personal favorite, Ratatouille. Something about that little rat just got to me.

"Erin, are we still on for Friday?" I asked once the movie was over. Neither Izzy nor I had said anything about Billie the Bear, nor did we feel the need to. She was having fun, and that was her business. Hell, if I had thought about that in the months that I was alone, I might have tried the same thing, it probably worked really well!

"Oh yeah! I'll text you the time and place. The gang is still trying to figure out where we're going." She replied with a smile. "Are you sure you're still up for it?"

"Absolutely!" Izzy exclaimed. "We've only been out a few times together, so maybe it will be nice to meet some new people."

"But you have to tell you who we're supposed to be helping you with," I pointed out.

Erin looked down at her lap where she quickly clenched her hands. "Okay. There is a girl. No, a woman. Darn it! So. Ummm. I really want my supervisor."

I perked up at that. "Okay, and she'll be there?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, she always is. We have a group of a dozen or so that usually go out to these things every Friday, and she's always there. It's like a team building thing. We've been doing it since I started there almost two years ago."

"What's her name?" Izzy asked with a smile.

Erin looked up at us, a grin on her face. "Her name is Wilhelmina, and she's so wonderful!"

"Wilhelmina? That's quite the mouthful," I noted.

Her eyes went dreamy. "She lets me call her Billie though." Izzy and I shared a quick look at that revelation. Mystery confirmed!

"Do you think she's into women?" I had to ask, because it could be embarrassing otherwise.

Erin pouted, then adjusted her glasses. "I'm pretty sure she is, but my gaydar sucks. I think she likes me maybe? She always compliments me, and she gives me good projects. But I don't know if she just thinks I'm a good worker and I'm being rewarded, or if she likes me for something more. Ugh, it's so frustrating!"

"Well, we can try to get a read on her," I suggested. "Or we could hit on you and see how she reacts. Maybe see if she gets jealous. It's risky though if you pretend to be interested. Does she know you're into girls? Are you out at work?"

"Oh yeah. She knows. We have an LGTBQ program at work, and she makes sure I get time off to go attend. We're trying to make sure nobody at work is afraid to be out, and it's working really well. We've got a great group of people."

"What if we hit on you, but you turn us down and make sure she knows you're waiting on someone else?" Izzy suggested.

"That might work. I'm a little scared to be honest. Not only is she beautiful, she's an amazing boss, and so nice, and I don't want to lose that," Erin admitted.

I've never worked in a company like that, but I could see that the thought of not having Billie as a boss scared her. "We won't do anything too crazy. We'll back off, if need be, okay?"

"Yeah, and thanks again!"

I was happy for Erin. This boss of hers must be a hell of a woman! When we went to bed that night, I pulled Izzy into my chest and felt her wiggle about until she was nice and comfy. "Izzy?"

"Mhmm?" she hummed contentedly.

"I want to be with you forever. Even if it turns out that we shouldn't be together romantically, I need you in my life. I can't lose you."

She turned her head, kissing me in my collarbone. "Trish, I'm not going anywhere. You're mine. I'm not giving you up," she promised wearily.

I kissed the top of her head as our legs tangled while we settled in for the evening. I was never going to get sick of this. She was mine too.