Chapter Text
“I don’t care if it hurts in the end...because you’re so worth it.”
Alex had replayed it in her head probably a million times throughout the rest of her shift at the hospital. And every time, it brought a smile to her face. Willow thought she was worth it. Not even her ex had thought that, choosing a life of spontaneity and travel over staying put and settling down with her. Her ex didn't think ten years together was worth it. But in the short time they'd been dating, Willow did. Willow thought she was worth it. The doctor smiled again while sitting at her desk in her office, having finally been able to take a short break from the busy afternoon they'd been having in the emergency department.
Much to her dismay, Alex hadn't had a chance to reply to Willow's sentiment, having been interrupted by a nurse barging in with an emergency, abruptly cutting off their moment and any chance Alex had of responding to Willow's concerns and, not to mention, that admission. She'd given her a quick kiss on the forehead, telling her they'd talk later before hurrying out of her office to tend to the emergency. She’d hated having to leave Willow hanging like that, especially having just poured her heart out to the doctor. It was something she greatly admired about her girlfriend...the way she wore her heart on her sleeve. Alex was the complete opposite...always had been. She was the guarded, reserved, and private type. And because she was that way, it had almost been the cause of Willow breaking up with her.
She hadn’t realized how distraught the trainer had been over the possibility of Alex having to leave the Bay after her contract was up. She’d played it off as no big deal, because to her it hadn’t been a big deal. The thought never occurred to her that the two of them would break things off when Alex had to leave for her next contract. To her, work and their relationship were two very separate things. She’d just assumed that they would work it out and make it work until Alex could find a contract closer to the Bay or maybe even eventually...a permanent position at Northern Districts. And yes, a part of her was sad and a bit terrified of having to leave her girlfriend behind while trying to juggle the difficulties of a long-distance relationship with a new job. But to Alex, Willow was worth it too. After all, it was never just a fling for her.
But what she hadn’t realized, and she’d been mentally kicking herself the rest of the day for this, was just how much everything had been affecting Willow. She should have known by the number of times the trainer had brought up her contract ending. She should have known by the pleading look in her eyes every time Alex had played it off as no big deal. She should have known by those latest nights in bed when she’d hadn’t wanted to do anything except have Alex hold her. She just...really should have known.
Alex closed her eyes and rubbed her temples in frustration, trying to quell the impending headache she felt coming on while trying to figure out how she was going to pick up where’d they’d left off with the conversation they’d been having earlier. But really, there was no good way to do it. Alex knew this. The moment had come and gone and, as usual, work had interrupted them. She was tired of the interruptions. Alex knew they needed to talk. They needed to sort things out and make sure both were on the same page when it came to their feelings and what that meant for the two of them moving forward. And it needed to be done with no chance of interruption. But how? Suddenly, an idea sprang up in Alex’s head, causing her to sit up straight in her chair and open up her laptop, a determined look on her face.
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When Alex stepped inside her house that evening, she was immediately greeted by the delicious smell of something cooking coming from her kitchen. What was cooking, she wasn’t sure, but the aroma suddenly made her very aware that she was actually pretty hungry, having to skip lunch due to several emergencies that had needed her attention. She smiled as she heard the sounds of Willow tinkering in her kitchen as she sat her stuff down and headed towards it.
When Alex entered the kitchen, she was greeted by the sight of her gorgeous girlfriend taking a baking dish out of the oven. The doctor watched, with a smile on her face, as Willow sat the dish down onto a beautifully set table, complete with candles and a bottle of wine chilling in a bucket of ice. God, she adored that woman. Of course, in the back of her mind, tucked away carefully so as not to blurt something out too soon, Alex knew it was more than adoration. But neither one of them were ready to make that leap yet. They’d have plenty of time to navigate those growing feelings that lead to confessions. They’d have plenty of time.
“Hey.” Alex finally said, her voice soft and full of the emotions she’d just been feeling inside.
A surprised Willow looked up after finishing lighting the candles.
“Hey!” She replied, setting down the matches and walking over to her girlfriend, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“One has to be cautious when entering their house and smelling something delicious cooking. Could be a burglar cooking herself a meal before looting the place.” Alex joked, getting a small chuckle out of Willow. “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble though. I would have been perfectly happy with some takeout and several glasses of wine.”
“Well...I’ve got the wine covered. And...who says this isn’t takeout I was trying to disguise as a home-cooked meal before my girlfriend came home unannounced and ruined the charade?”
This time it was Alex who chuckled, eyeing the casserole dish on the table.
“So, it’s from Salt? Oh...or maybe that cozy little café we discovered just outside of town the other day?”
“Nope. It’s neither.” Willow answered quickly before heading over to the counter to grab the corkscrew so she could open up the wine and pour Alex the glass she knew the doctor always needed after a long day at the hospital.
“Oh really? Okay, hmmmm....don’t tell me it’s that terrible Italian take away place down the road from the gym. Cause you always say their marinara sauce is-”
“If you must know.” Willow interrupted as she walked back over to the table, giving Alex a sly smile as she started opening the wine. “Irene trusted me with her top-secret baked spaghetti recipe.”
“Ah, so it’s Irene I have to thank for cooking us this amazing smelling dinner tonight?” Alex quipped, knowing it would get a reaction out of her girlfriend.
Willow sat the corkscrew down, stepping close into Alex’s space.
“I made dinner. I did. Nobody else.” She stated seriously.
“You made dinner?”
“That’s what I just said.” Willow replied, frustration in her voice.
“And...is it edible? We aren’t going to need to rush to emergency after eating it? Alex teased, loving how adorable Willow looked in her frustration.
“Aleeeeex. Come on. I worked really hard to do this. You know how limited my cooking skills are. But I’ve been trying to learn. I just...”
Willow’s voice trailed off as her eyes shifted to the ground, getting lost in her emotions. After a moment, she gathered her thoughts and her wits as she looked back up at her girlfriend.
“I just wanted to do something special for you...especially after what I said earlier. I just...wanted to make sure you knew I meant it.”
Alex’s demeanor instantly softened, knowing now wasn’t the time to be teasing her girlfriend. They were now back in serious discussion mode, as they had been in Alex’s office. So, Alex took a step closer to Willow, reaching out to place her hand on the side of the trainer’s cheek.
“Baby, of course I know you mean it. You’re one of the few people I know who have no qualms about saying exactly what they mean...what they’re feeling. And I-”
“Did you just call me baby? Willow interrupted, a sly smile quirking across her lips and a sudden gleam in her eyes.
A huge smile spread across Alex’s lips.
“Now there’s the Willow that I know and ...adore.”
Love. She had almost said love. It had been on the tip of her tongue, but thankfully, Alex had quickly corrected herself mentally before saying it aloud. Now was not the time. There would be plenty of time for that.
“You adore me, huh?” Willow replied, raising her eyebrows up and down playfully.
Alex was relieved that the seriousness from before had passed and now they could go back to teasing. Although with what Alex said next, she was still very serious.
“Of course I do.”
A moment of silent understanding passed between them before Willow glanced down at Alex’s other hand, which was holding a piece of paper.
“What’s that?” She asked, nodding her head towards Alex’s hand.
“Huh? Oh!” Alex exclaimed, raising the piece of paper up and handing it over to Willow.
I want to talk...I do. But we just keep getting interrupted and it’s...just so damn annoying. And so I was in my office earlier thinking about...things, and an idea popped into my head. And so I booked us at that spa outside of town that you’ve been talking about for the weekend. It’s supposed to be amazing and exclusive and...very private. And I know it’s presumptuous of me to plan something so spur of the moment when the weekend is like...tomorrow and you have your manager duties, but I wanted to-
“Take a breath, babe.” Willow said, pressing two fingers to Alex’s lips to quiet the rambling doctor. “I’d love to go away with you for the weekend. I’ll make it happen at work, don’t worry.”
“Did you...just call me babe?”
“God, you are such a nerd.” Willow said through a small laugh.
“Takes one to know one.” Alex replied amusingly.
“Yeah, yeah, come here and kiss me, you nerd, so we can sit down and eat and then I can run home to pack and get my shifts covered.”
“Okay, but you’ll come back to spend the night, right?” Alex said, feigning a slight pout at the thought of having to spend the night alone since she’d grown so accustomed to the two of them spending the nights together most of the time recently.
“I suppose I could...if you say please.”
Alex closed the distance between them, pressing her lips, softly at first, into Willow’s. But as she placed her hand at the back of the trainer’s neck and pulled her in closer, she deepened the kiss, leaving them both breathless as they finally parted, leaning their foreheads against each other.
“Please.” Alex stated, her voice still shaky and slightly out of breath.
“How can I say no to that?” Willow responded, her voice equally shaky and out of breath.
“You can’t.” Alex joked as she pulled back to look at her girlfriend.
“No, I can’t” Willow said back, her eyes full of adoration and probably more.
But she wasn’t ready to address that probably more part. There would be time for that. They’d have plenty of time for that. So, instead, Willow took Alex’s hand and led her over to the table, letting go so she could pull the chair out for Alex. And once they were both seated and had plenty of wine poured, they began eating Willow’s dinner, which Alex had to admit...was exceptionally delicious.
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They arrived back in Summer Bay early Monday morning, a groan coming from both women as Alex pulled up at Irene’s house to drop Willow off. The weekend had been everything Alex had hoped for and more. The spa retreat they’d gone to had been a perfect mix of privacy and relaxation. Between meditative yoga classes, amazing couples' massages, and several stolen moments had in their own private hot-tub, they’d been thoroughly pampered and rejuvenated. They’d even managed to talk, uninterrupted about how they would handle Alex leaving for her next contract. Alex would go as far to say that it was the perfect weekend. And she could only hope...that Willow felt the same way.
“Ugh, I don’t want to go back to work.” Willow said, interrupting Alex’s thoughts as she threw her head back dramatically against the car seat. “How am I supposed to run a workout when all I’ll be thinking about is the amazingly perfect weekend we just had?”
Alex couldn’t help but smile. It was as though Willow had read her mind. She looked over at her girlfriend who was staring up at the roof of the car.
“I know what you mean.” Alex said softly, prompting Willow to lower her gaze to Alex’s.
“It was pretty amazing, right?” Willow asked, sliding her closer as she placed her hand atop Alex’s hand resting on her lap.
“Yeah. Definitely amazing.” Alex agreed as she watched Willow slide in closer to her until the console between them stopped her.
“You wanna know what my favorite parts were?” Willow said as the leaned over the console, their faces now mere inches apart.
“Which ones?” Alex questioned, knowing she had a pretty good idea, as it was most likely her favorite as well.
“The parts in the hot tub.” Willow responded before giving her girlfriend a mischievous wink and closing the distance between them.
The kiss quickly became hot and heavy...much like the scenarios in the hot-tub they’d just been alluding to. It didn’t have time to progress, however, as they were interrupted by the loud ringing of Willow’s cellphone, prompting frustrated groans from both women as they reluctantly parted. Willow pulled out the ringing phone, looking at the screen.
“It’s Jas. I should probably take it. She’s been trying to get a hold of me all weekend, but I told her it’d have to wait until we’re back.”
“It’s okay, take it. I’ll see you later for breakfast before work?
“Yes, definitely.” Willow responded before giving Alex a quick kiss goodbye and getting out of the car.
Alex watched on as Willow answered her phone and walked up the sidewalk to enter her house. Before she went inside, the trainer turned to wave at Alex. Alex waved back, prompting Willow to turn back around and enter the house. As Alex started up her car, she couldn’t help but let out a contented sigh, matching the equally happy smile on her lips. There had been so many moments during their weekend getaway where Alex had wanted to tell Willow exactly how she felt. And by exactly, she meant that big four letter “L” word. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Something in her gut kept telling her it just wasn’t the right time yet. Even though everything in her heart was screaming that it was. It was okay, though, she thought, as she made the short drive back to her house. They would have plenty of time...