Princess woke up to find mommy and baby sleeping side by side.
Leonny was lying on top of his mommy’s arm, snuggling against her as he slept peacefully. His small face was pressed right into the fabric, his tiny chest rising and falling in a perfect, quiet rhythm that matched Faye’s exactly.
They looked like a couple of runaway puppies huddled up on the floor, completely tucked away from the rest of the massive bedroom.
Sleeping so peacefully after ruining his parents’ romantic night...
Princess carefully picked him up from his mother, wrapped him in his hoodie blanket, and quietly carried the baby to the nursery.
She placed Baby Leonny inside his crib, tucked him in with his blanket, and watched him snoozing peacefully.
She then looked over at the other pups, who were still asleep. The three were scattered across their own cribs, tangled up in their colorful sheets with their little legs kicking lazily in their dreams.
Princess smiled at her lovely children. A wave of pure pride hit her stomach, her chest rising with a warm, quiet breath as she stood in the center of the nursery for a long moment.
After that, she returned to the closet and gently carried her sleeping girlfriend back to the bedroom.
She made sure Faye was lying comfortably. Princess lowered her gently onto the big mattress, pulling the thick down comforter all the way up to her chin to keep her warm against the morning chill.
Princess watched her girlfriend sleep and couldn’t stop smiling at the peaceful girl.
Then Faye turned over in her sleep and cuddled Princess. She threw a arm across Princess’s waist, her body sliding over the sheets until she was pressed tightly against the alpha’s side, her face burying itself right into Princess’s neck.
"You should sleep too, since you have school tomorrow, babe," the sleepy Faye muttered as she held onto her girlfriend.
Princess finally closed her eyes. She wrapped her arm around Faye’s shoulders, her heart settling into a steady, calm beat as she let herself drift back to sleep under the warm blankets.
The next morning, during breakfast, Princess still noticed that her girlfriend looked troubled.
"Babe, what’s bothering you?" Princess asked as she handed Faye her morning coffee.
Faye wasn’t going to say anything, but she figured letting some of it out might help.
"If I was dying, and there was only one way to save my life, but I didn’t want it... would you still save me?" Faye asked. She looked up, her eyes totally serious as she waited for the answer.
Princess simply stared at her girlfriend.
Only one thought crossed her mind, and she immediately voiced it.
"Are you dying?" Princess asked, her face filled with worry. Her voice cracked slightly, her chest rising with a sudden, panicked gasp.
Her pupils widened.
It felt like she was having a mini heart attack.
"No, no, I’m not dying. It’s just a hypothetical question," Faye said quickly.
But Princess was still frozen in shock, making Faye instantly regret asking.
She searched for a better way to explain.
"Princess, I’m not dying, okay? It’s just someone I know... a friend who’s dying, and her wife wants to do whatever it takes to save her. But my friend doesn’t want it." Faye said, her voice dropping into a soft, rushing whisper to calm the alpha down.
"Oh my God, your friend is dying? Which one? You only have three friends here in Oakland, and none of them are married. So is it someone back in Redwood? But I’m pretty sure none of them are married either," Princess said.
"Well... not exactly my friend. My boss’s patient. Just answer my question. Do you think it’s right to save her life even if she doesn’t want it?" Faye asked, leaning across the table to grab Princess’s hand.
Princess thought for a moment.
"Well... if I were dying, would you do whatever it takes to save me?" she asked.
Faye paused to think. The image of Princess disappearing from her life made her chest squeeze tightly, a cold shiver running straight down her spine.
"Of course I would. I can’t imagine my life without my other half. I’d do whatever it takes," Faye confessed. Her voice was steady and raw, her eyes completely honest as she looked at the girl across from her.
"Aww... there’s your answer, babe. When you love someone, you see them as your life. You don’t want them to die. You save them no matter what. I’d do the same thing too," Princess replied. A soft, warm smile returned to her face, her thumb rubbing circles against the back of Faye’s hand.
"The things we do for love, huh?" Faye said with a smile. Then sip her coffee..
"Yeah. So who is the person? Maybe I should send her some flowers to wish her a speedy recovery. Or does she like video games? I could send her one of my Xbox consoles." Princess offered happily, her generous attitude taking over in an instant.
Faye opened her mouth...
...then closed it again.
She had been told not to tell anyone.
But...
"A lady named Martha," Faye finally answered. She couldn’t help it, the truth just slipped past her lips anyway because keeping things from Princess felt completely wrong. And she doesn’t want many secrets..
"Martha what? I need her full name so I can write it on the flowers." Princess said, already reaching for her phone to make a note.
"I don’t know. I never asked for her last name. But don’t worry about the flowers. I promised I’d visit her again with the kids." Faye said, waving her hand to drop the topic.
The conversation naturally came to an end, and they headed to school.
Faye couldn’t help wondering why she found it so difficult to lie to her girlfriend.
At least she hadn’t mentioned Dre, the Night Walker. That part was still locked away safely behind her teeth.
In the classroom, Malo was still giving Faye the I’m not talking to you look.
He was sitting at his desk with his arms tightly crossed over his chest, his head turned entirely toward the window as he let out loud, dramatic sighs every time she walked past.
He was still angry that his best friend had ruined his plans. The grand fishing trip at the hotel was messed up, and he wasn’t going to let her forget it.
"Seriously, buddy, that look isn’t going to change anything. I’m busy tomorrow," Faye said. She slid into her seat right next to him, letting out an amused breath as she dropped her bag onto the floor.
"Who is your buddy? I’m not your buddy. Find another buddy," Malo replied. He snapped his head around, his face pouting dynamically as he glared at her.
"My girlfriend comes first before anyone, dude. I’d choose her in a heartbeat." Faye said simply, her tone totally flat and factual.
"Really? You used to say you’d choose me first in everything we did. We’ve been besties since we were pups, and now you’re letting someone else come between us." Malo groaned, his shoulders slumping as he tossed his pen onto the desk.
"Stop being delusional, Malo. You’re not in a relationship. Try being in one, and you’ll see that you’ll choose your partner first." Faye rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair with a confident grin.
"There’s a saying: bros before hoes. And you chose the latter."
"It’s ’hoes’ for a reason, and my girlfriend isn’t one. She happens to be the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life with." Faye snapped back, her voice tightening with a sudden edge that made Malo blink in surprise.
"Fine. Find another buddy to be your bestie. We’re not friends anymore." Malo muttered, turning his back on her again with a heavy huff.
Faye didn’t even seem bothered. She gave a small shrug, her chest rising with a relaxed breath as she looked around the classroom.
She turned to the classmate sitting beside her. The person was just organizing their notebook, completely unbothered by the high school drama happening right next to them.
"I’m officially buddy-free. Would you like to be my best friend?" Faye asked. She leaned over, her voice loud enough for Malo to catch every single word.
"It hasn’t even been one minute since we broke up! How dare you try to replace me!" Malo cried dramatically. He whipped his head back around, his eyes wide with absolute horror as his jaw dropped open.
"But you said I should..." Faye started, a massive smirk breaking across her face.
Malo turned to the classmate. He jumped up slightly in his seat, waving his arms aggressively to block the space between them.
"Hey! She already has a bestie, and that’s me. We’re best friends forever... for life. So shoo!" Malo shouted, pointing a finger at the confused student.
The classmate wasn’t even paying attention and simply continued doing whatever they had been doing.
Faye just stared at her best friend and shook her head. Her chest rose with a quiet laugh, her heart feeling light and steady as the first bell of the morning finally started to ring through the crowded hallways.