#lemon cdr

Priyanka could tell there was something wrong with Lemon. She just didn’t know what it could be. They were best friends, so wouldn’t Lemon just come to her if she was upset or mad or whatever? Priyanka couldn’t lie, she felt a pang in her chest at the idea of Lemon keeping something from her, something that was clearly upsetting her. They had become a package deal, they were never too far from each other and even when they weren’t together, they were talking about each other. If Lemon didn’t like someone, neither did Pri. If Pri had a favourite song, Lemon learned every word. They were as close as friends could be.

Though, Priyanka kind of wished they’d be more. But it was okay. She could have feelings for Lemon and be her friend and she didn’t even have to know. Hiding it from her would kill her, but she was sure telling Lemon would be worse. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t, risk changing their dynamic, something they had built up to become stronger and stronger year after year. If their bond were to break, they’d never hear the end of it. The mere thought of that made Priyanka shiver. 

She liked to think she could read Lemon best, and she’d probably be right. Lemon was not the girl to always talk about how she was feeling, and you could bet if she wasn’t feeling right she’d completely hide it. But she’d never been able to fool Priyanka. Though, normally she wouldn’t even try, because Priyanka would be the shoulder she’d seek to cry on anyway. Priyanka had seen her at her absolute worst, through thick and thin. So why was she acting so… weird?

It’s not like it was obvious, though. Lemon was a good actress, Priyanka was just a better detective, apparently. But she didn’t say anything straight away. Lemon hated to be pestered, and maybe she was just tired. Maybe her neighbours were loud and she couldn’t get to sleep. Hell, she could just be a bit hormonal, that’s fine. Priyanka would only make her angry for bringing it up, or even make her worse. And she didn't want to be overbearing. So she left it. She left it and waited until Lemon was back to her sour little self. But that never happened.

Apparently, Priyanka’s stress over Lemon just made her more stressed in general, which made her forget to set her alarm. So on Friday morning, she woke up an hour later than normal, in ignorant bliss for a total of one second until reality caught up to her. She scrambled out of bed, rushing through her usual morning routine, probably (definitely) forgetting something when packing her bag. By the time she was ready to go, she would be about 45 minutes late to her first lesson, so there was really no point in going to it at all. But still, she left the house and found herself walking a little quicker than normal.

She didn’t go to her first lesson, opting to be early for her second. She braced herself for whatever Lemon would come up with about her frazzled appearance. She wore a bare face and a ponytail that was definitely lop-sided and falling out slowly, and she knew Lemon would have an absolute field day. She was the only person who Priyanka would let make fun of her, all because she knew it came from a place of love. Besides, the bitch was funny. It was so typically Lemon to make some quick-witted insult, that would never really be an insult, it became her thing. 

So when Lemon sat herself down in her usual spot next to Pri and said nothing but a “Hey, bitch” with a smile that was definitely not genuine, Priyanka knew it was time to intervene. And then the teacher walked in, demanding silence. Well, there goes that idea. For the next hour, Priyanka watched Lemon’s eyes as they focused and unfocused on the world around her, and pretended to ignore the constant side glances she’d receive way more often than normal. Maybe now wasn’t the time, but she’d have to bring it up. She didn’t care if Lemon got annoyed anymore, she knew the girl had a habit of bottling things up, and she didn’t want to wait for her feelings to explode. She thought back to the few times where she had bit her tongue for a bit too long, and watched Lemon spiral for weeks. She wouldn’t let that happen again.

Turns out, getting Lemon alone for long enough was a lot harder than she thought it’d be. Was she doing this on purpose? The next time Priyanka caught up with Lemon wasn’t until the end of the day, when they began the walk home together, a tradition they’d had for years. And still, something just seemed off. Lemon just wasn’t as peppy as she normally was (though she would absolutely kill Priyanka for using the word ‘peppy’ to describe her).

“Hey Lem, do you want to stick around at mine for a bit? I need company while my moms at work?” Priyanka’s mom was at work, this was true, but really she was just testing the waters. Lemon never passed up an opportunity to spend a couple hours at Pri’s after school.

“I actually have like, a shit ton of homework, so I think I’ll just go straight home today.” Okay, that was enough.

“Lemon. Are you okay?” She placed her hands on the younger girls shoulders, effectively stopping her from walking any further, and making her face Priyanka. This just meant Priyanka had a better view of the dramatic eye roll Lemon proceeded to do.

“I’m fine! Just busy.” Lemon was not impressed. At all. Not quite angry, but absolutely fed up, but this only spurred Priyanka on more.

“Lem, please. Just come to mine for a bit, we can chill or whatever you want. I call bullshit on your homework excuse but you can do that if you really want to, just please come with me? I just want you to be okay.” Priyanka’s tone was harsh, firm. Not mean though, never mean, not to Lemon. 

It’s not like Lemon had any other choice but to agree. Priyanka grabbed her hand and didn’t let go until she was standing at her front door fishing for her keys in her pockets. Lemon never perked up, instead she whined the whole way about how she was fine and Priyanka was overreacting. Priyanka saw right through it, and with each complaint she became more determined to find out what the fuck was going on with her best friend.

As soon as the door was opened, Lemon walked straight upstairs, into Priyanka’s room and flopped onto her bed. Priyanka trudged behind her, in much less of a hurry but concerned nonetheless, and followed the yellow haired girl into the bedroom to find her lying there with her face smushed into her pillows. She didn’t budge even after Priyanka closed the door behind her, nor when she asked politely for her to scoot along. So Priyanka did the only thing that was left to do. She gently rolled Lemon’s petite body along, so that she was facing upwards and gave enough room to join her on the bed. She was surprisingly met with no resistance other than a small whine of protest. 

“Stay here. I’m gonna go make tea, then you can do your stupid homework”

Lemon’s face instantly fell. They both knew she was lying about the homework earlier. Sure, she had to get some done, but it was Friday night and she had all weekend. Besides, she didn’t even have much and she always left it until the last minute anyways. She didn’t want to think about the homework until at least tomorrow. In hindsight, that was probably exactly why Priyanka called bullshit on the excuse so quickly.

“I actually don’t have homework tonight. Can we just like, watch a movie instead?”

And how could Priyanka say no to her? She could never stay mad at Lemon for long, not that she even was in the first place, and now she was just more worried than anything. So she’d take it upon herself to make sure Lemon felt better by next week, and she’d have her Lemon back. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?

She left for a few minutes and left Lemon to pick out a movie for them to watch on her laptop. When she returned, she found Lemon wrapped up under her duvet, laptop in front of her ready to begin Mean Girls. Priyanka let out a sigh of relief that she wasn’t going to make her watch something that would make her cry.

It took twenty minutes for Priyanka to become hyper-aware of Lemon’s body against hers. And it’s not like she was complaining, but also she was falling head over heels for this girl and it was becoming increasingly harder the act like her feelings were entirely platonic. But alas, she kept still, tense even, as she focused hard on the movie, making off-handed comments about how Regina and Janis low-key would have been a power couple. 

It took another twenty minutes for Lemons head to drop onto Priyanka’s shoulder. She chanced a glance at the smaller girl, which led her to find out she had fallen asleep. Waking Lemon up would feel mean, especially since she figured she needed the extra relaxation, she deserved to feel better. However, letting Lemon sleep on her shoulder? Priyanka didn’t know if she’d be able to take it.

But she did. She sat through the last hour of the movie with Lemon breathing softly onto her neck, totally oblivious to her friend's inner turmoil, and only woke her up once the end credits had finished. She lightly shook Lemon until she began to stir and eventually sat up and opened her eyes, only to ask how long she’d been asleep for. She tried to tell Priyanka that she should have just woken her up, instead of letting her sleep on her shoulder like that, saying it was probably just uncomfortable. Priyanka insisted that she didn’t care and Lemon needed the rest.

It only took a minute of awkward silence (something that was unfamiliar to the pair) before Priyanka sat up straight and faced Lemon.

“Okay. You’ve drank your tea. You’ve watched your film. You’ve had your nap. Now tell me what’s wrong” Priyanka was going to get to the bottom of this, whether she liked it or not.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” Lemon avoided her gaze, favouring to stare at the walls, or the floor, the window, anywhere but Priyanka and her damn eyes. She knew that the minute she looked into them, she wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut, which is exactly what she needed to do if she planned on keeping their friendship. 

Priyanka never let down though. She kept asking until Lemon started to raise her voice, seemingly getting annoyed. But Priyanka knew better. She wasn’t annoyed, she was starting to break the facade.

“Priyanka, I don’t even understand why you’re so certain that something’s wrong with me! I’m fine! Why would I not be!?” Lemon was shouting by now. And she was definitely starting to feel guilty, and absolutely not fine. But it’s not like she could just straight up tell Priyanka that the reason she had been distant was because she was trying not to be in love with her. 

“Because you’re not being a bitch!” Lemon seemed offended for about a second, and then she realised that Priyanka was right. She’d been too soft lately. It’s unlike her to not make some bitchy comment for a laugh, and everyone knew she didn’t actually mean it, but it had become the Lemon Brand.

“Maybe I don’t want to be a bitch anymore. Can I not be nice for once? Sincerely nice? Would you hate it if I let my guard down for a damn day?”

Lemon seemed hurt. Genuinely upset, as if she was asking herself these questions instead of Priyanka. But still, she was so confused. Why was Lemon acting so differently? Was she sick of her? 

“You’re not scared of hurting my feelings are you? Because that-”

“Oh my God, Priyanka. It’s not always about you!”

Except in this situation it was absolutely all about Priyanka, just not in the way she was insinuating. It just didn’t feel right anymore, to have this banter between them. Sometimes Lemon wished she could give a compliment without slapping something she didn’t mean on the end of it. Sometimes she wished she could be able to give Priyanka some kind of clue about what she was feeling, but it was just impossible to be so serious with her. 

“Then what is it about? I promise I’ll drop it if you just explain what’s wrong, I know there’s a reason you haven’t been acting like yourself”

There was no response. Lemon avoided her eyes, looking down into her lap. When Priyanka followed her gaze she found her picking at her fingernails, she noticed her hands were shaking a little. Not much, but just enough to show that she was convincing herself to say something. Priyanka couldn’t lie, she was a little scared. It was unlike Lemon to be so dramatic and secretive about something, especially with Priyanka. They knew almost everything about each other, and they liked it that way. Things had always been so comfortable between them, they could say anything without worrying about the others' reaction. So why was Lemon biting her tongue all of a sudden?

“It just doesn’t feel right anymore, to joke around like that” Her voice was small, reluctant even. Yet, it still didn’t clarify anything to Priyanka, who was still just as confused as before.

“What do you mean?”

Lemon just shook her head and hid her face behind her hands. A muffled “It doesn’t matter” was the closest thing to an answer Pri received. She didn’t know what to do. She’d never seen Lemon like this, so timid. Scared. For someone who constantly said ‘deluded self-confidence’ ws her brand, she surely wasn’t being confident in any sense of the word. Meanwhile, Priyanka softly insisted that whatever the problem was, it did matter. It mattered because she was clearly upset. It mattered because it was stopping Lemon from talking to her. It mattered to Priyanka because it clearly mattered to Lemon.

After Priyanka had tried her best to keep her friend calm and to get her to open up, Lemon’s eyes slowly became glassy. Her lower lip quivered before a tear was shed and soon enough Priyanka was opening her arms and muttering a “c’mere, don’t cry”. It was all ‘you’ll be okay’ and ‘I’ve got you, don’t worry’, until Priyanka’s shirt had a small mascara stain and Lemon pulled away, wiping her eyes and apologising for getting makeup on her shirt. Priyanka didn’t care. If anything, she was just happy Lemon finally let it out, even though she still had no idea what ‘it’ was. 

“You know you can literally tell me anything, right?” 

Lemon sniffled, and nodded with a giggle. She knew she could trust Priyanka, she always had. She just didn’t know if she trusted herself to handle being rejected. But there was no getting out of this one anymore. There was no more running away, no more distancing herself. It was time to bite the bullet. Deep breaths.

“I, uh, I guess I’ve been acting so weird around you because…”

How the fuck was she supposed to say this? 

“It’s okay, Lemon, you trust me right?” Priyanka leaned forward ever so slightly to wipe a stray tear from Lemon’s cheek as she gave a miniscule nod in response.

“Well, I think I just wanted to distance myself for a while? Not because I don’t want to spend time with you! It’s quite the opposite really.”

She could see the cogs turning in Lemons head, trying to think of something else to say, and part of Priyanka wanted to ask Lemon to elaborate. But the other part of Priyanka was thinking about how right it felt to touch Lemon’s cheek, and how close their bodies were, and how pretty Lemon looked. And the way Lemon was looking at her. It was as if she hung all the stars in the sky right then and there, just for Lemon.

And suddenly it all made sense. And Priyanka felt so, so dumb for not noticing it sooner. 

“Wait, Lemon. I get it.”

“No, I really don’t think you do-” She chuckled, not because it was funny, but because there was no way Priyanka knew where she was going with this. She’d tried so hard to hide it from her. But then again, she could never keep something from her for very long anyways.

“Come here” Lemon obliged, slowly scooting herself closer to the girl, watching as her eyes flickered down for just a second and she took a deep breath. 

Maybe Priyanka did get it. 

“You want to kiss me, don’t you?” It was a whisper. A dare. Lemon was happy to accept it.

“And what if I do?” She had no idea where the short burst of confidence came from, or what allowed her to flirt back, but she did it anyway. Maybe it was the way their faces were slowly inching closer together. Maybe it was the way they had locked eyes so intensely she could suddenly see every fleck of colour in Priyanka’s iris’. 

“Then I think you should.”

And Lemon didn’t need to be told twice. She wrapped her arms around Priyanka’s neck, letting her initiate the kiss. She let herself let go of thought, let go of worries about what this made them, and just kissed back as if her life depended on it. Somehow it felt like it did. The kiss itself was soft, the pair much more concerned with letting each other know how they felt more than anything else.

When they eventually pulled apart with plump lips and flushed cheeks, a satisfied smirk sat on Lemon’s lips. 

“I don’t think I wanna be friends anymore”

“Yeah, me neither”

-

“So, Pri, you meet your soulmate tomorrow right?” Boa was right, according to the date marked on Priyanka’s upper thigh, tomorrow was the day. It still didn’t quite feel real yet, that she would meet the person she was meant to be with forever. Part of her was terrified that they wouldn’t get along, that somehow, something had gone wrong at some point. Part of her couldn’t wait to meet someone she should be able to just click with so easily. People wait their entire lives to meet The One, and right now, she only has to wait one more day.

“Yeah tomorrow’s the day! I wonder what they’re like” Priyanka hadn’t planned to do or go anywhere out of the ordinary, she would go to school, go home, and see wherever else the day might take her. But for now, she just had to get back home after school. They spent the walk home bumping into each other's shoulder and theorizing about what her soulmate might be like, though there was only one problem.

Boa, Priyanka’s best friend and self-proclaimed-platonic-soulmate, had no idea that Priyanka was expecting her actual soulmate to be a girl. There wasn’t necessarily a reason she hadn’t yet told Boa, it just never came up. And now it was too late to bring it up, too awkward. Except she’s meeting her tomorrow and Boa will either be completely oblivious, or will figure it out far too quickly.

Avoiding pronouns got old fast, but luckily it was still relatively easy to stick with using they/them, seeing as though she was talking about someone she didn’t know. She could keep this from Boa for just one more day, and then she’d just have to figure out how to break the news. Or maybe she wouldn’t even have to, maybe Boa would just be able to sense it from how they interacted. The uncertainty of it all was quite concerning, but she was sure she would push through it anyway.

Priyanka did not sleep well that night. She was going to meet her soulmate. The girl that would complete her, make her a better version of herself. It was scary, but exciting. She couldn’t wait, really. No matter how nerve-wrecking it became the more she thought about it, she also felt comforted. It was meant to be. She was about to find someone who will love her so strongly, and someone she can love right back. She was lucky, really, to find her soulmate so young. They’d be able to grow together, face the world and adulthood together when the time came. She had the rest of her life ahead of her and she couldn’t wait to spend it falling in love with her other half.

-

Lemon couldn’t wait to meet her soulmate. The only problem was she would have absolutely no idea who is. She thought long and hard about the ways she could whittle it down, but the only distinctive factor was that she knew her soulmate would be a girl, and they would meet tomorrow. Maybe she would just know? Maybe they’d catch eyes in the hallway and something would just click. That’s what she hoped would happen anyway, but knowing her luck, there would be no such thing.

She was starting a brand new school tomorrow, slap-bang in the middle of a school year. She was about to be the new kid. It was just unlucky that the very day she would start a new school, consequently meeting hundreds of kids, she was also supposed to meet her soulmate. Of course, whoever it may be should know straight away that their soulmate is Lemon. She’d be the only new girl, and therefore the only person they meet that day. So, at least they’re not both completely clueless, right?

Lemon fell asleep almost the exact moment her head hit her pillow. She had spent the last hour or two taking extra care in the shower, brushing her teeth, and going through her usually skipped over skincare routine. She even read her book for an extra half hour in an attempt to calm her butterflies, it worked well enough for her to fall asleep. Her dreams were fuelled by a mixture of anxiety and excitement (though some would argue they’re exactly the same) but she didn’t remember any by the time she woke up.

When the sun rose that morning, Lemon could feel herself getting giddier by the minute. It was a beautiful day - sunny, but not too warm. The perfect day to meet your soulmate. Walking into the doors for the first time, Lemon watched as unfamiliar faces passed by her with questioning looks, wondering who she was. Some of them had already begun to introduce themselves, unbeknownst to the date of her mark.

Lemon was sure she’d be fine. She was outgoing, and always willing to make new friends, so being the new girl wasn’t as scary as it should be. However, when every single person you meet is a potential soulmate, things start to get overwhelming. Her morning consisted of getting slightly lost on the way to her English class, introducing herself to 60+ people before lunch, and constantly being on the lookout for the look in someone's eye that tells her she’s the one. She never found that look.

-

Priyanka was having an awful morning. She had heard whispers of a new girl in school, and her heart managed to sink and soar at the same time. She promised herself she wouldn’t look for her, they would find each other when the time was right. And apparently the time was right just as Priyanka was speed walking, and definitely not paying attention, towards the dining hall for lunch after promising Boa she wouldn’t be late. She was fishing for her phone in her bag as she bumped into a wide eyed girl that she didn’t recognise.

In a flash, the girl was on the floor, picking up the books that Priyanka had managed to whack out of her grip.

‘Good going Pri, you just had the most cliche fucking meeting with your soumate and she probably doesn’t even know it, happy?’

Priyanka was quick to bend down to help the girl, apologising for being so careless. The girl looked up and smiled, Priyanka thought her heart might have stopped in that moment.

“It’s okay girl! Let’s just blame it on the fact that I’m the new girl so by the laws of the universe, something at least a little embarrassing has to happen to me. I mean, it wouldn't be a complete first day if it didn’t. I’m Lemon.”

“I thought I didn’t recognise you, I’m Priyanka… Wait, did you just say Lemon? Like the citrus fruit?”

“Well, my real name is Lena, Lemon’s just a nickname. Literally everyone just calls me Lemon though, especially pretty girls who don’t look at where they’re going. Besides, yellow does suit me, don’t you think?”

Priyanka did think. She thought this girl, Lemon, was stunning. And she was right, yellow was her colour. Her hair was a light blonde, but the ends were a pastel yellow and her shirt an even brighter yellow; Priyanka thought it must take some guts to wear such a bold colour on your first day, but you’ve got to make an impression somehow right? Besides, she was well aware that Lemon would have the same date she did on her thigh - which meant Lemon knew she was meeting her soulmate today. Chances are, she didn’t have any idea who it would be though, Priyanka couldn’t even imagine how many new people Lemon would have met today. But that would mean Lemon didn’t know that she and Priyanka were soulmates, only Priyanka did. So she would have to be the one to make some kind of move. She can’t watch her soulmate just walk away.

“Hey, do you have anyone to sit with at lunch?”

“I was planning on walking around aimlessly trying to find a clique that looks like they wouldn’t wanna bite my head off, so no, but I’m assuming I do now?”

Priyanka just took her soulmate’s hand in response, taking her to the dining hall to meet Boa. She hoped she could keep it together for the next 60 minutes. It shouldn’t be that hard. All she had to do was avoid the topic of romance and soulmates and she would be fine. Boa knew that bringing it up with a stranger was a bit too intimate for the first hour of knowing someone, so hopefully she wouldn't have to worry about her.

Luckily for Priyanka, her friend didn’t think twice about her invitation for Lemon to join them at lunch, assuming that her soulmate would be a boy, which Lemon was not. On the other hand, it meant that Priyanka spent an hour with her soulmate who probably had no idea they were meant to be, but who also kept flirting with her anyway. It was torture. She couldn't even tell her, not with Boa there. So when Priyanka wrote down Lemon’s instagram handle, she decided she would come clean to her tonight. 

-

Lemon had long abandoned the idea of finding her soulmate through glances in the hallway. She figured her soulmate would have the sense to know that she’d be meeting too many people to be able to single out the one, and she would make the first move, or at least say something to clue Lemon in. But that didn’t seem to happen all day.

Eating lunch with Priyanka and her friend was nice, but she had no reason to believe they were soulmates. As far as Lemon knew, Priyanka could just be trying to make up for the incident in the halls. Eventually her soulmate would show herself, but that didn’t stop Lemon from letting herself think that maybe her soulmate was sitting right in front of her.

Walking home that day, Lemon felt defeated. She wasn’t any closer to knowing who her soulmate was than when the day first started, except now she knew she had most definitely met them by now, unless she bumped into someone on the way home. She didn’t. She unlocked her front door and went straight to her bedroom. Her body felt heavy, she just had to lie down for a minute.

A notification from her phone was what woke her up a couple hours later. She barely even realised she had fallen asleep until she checked the time and it was already 7pm. There were two notifications, both from Instagram. She had one new follower, and a private message. It wasn’t too surprising to Lemon that both were Priyanka, remembering she had given her handle to the girl earlier that day. 

itsmepri: Hey, Lemon! How was your first day? 

lemongivesyoulife: well i accidentally slept for almost four hours the second i got home, so i would say it went exactly the way i expected

itsmepri: It only gets worse from here girl

lemongivesyoulife: yeah i’m rlly looking forward to my breakdown scheduled in about two months time :)) 

lemongivesyoulife: but honestly i’m just glad nobodys been shitty to me yet, i’m just waiting until someone decides to ~prey on the new girl~

itsmepri: Don’t worry too much! Most groups just kind of stick to themselves, so if you just stay with me and Boa, you shouldn’t get into too much trouble

itsmepri: Only if you want, you don’t HAVE to be my friend just because I accidentally ran into you on your first say (sorry again for that, Boa’s a bitch when you keep her waiting)

lemongivesyoulife: i’d love that, actually ;)

lemongivesyoulife: and again don’t even worry about it! something tells me it happened for a reason

-

Priyanka had planned to tell Lemon that they were soulmates, she really had, but there was something stopping her that she couldn't quite place. Maybe it was fear that Lemon would be disappointed, maybe she liked the way Lemon flirted with her without even knowing. Whatever it was, it was clear she wasn’t quite ready to come clean yet. At 11:59pm, Priyanka’s phone started to ring, showing Boa’s display name, because who else would call her at midnight on a school night.

“This better be good if you’re ringing me at midnight to talk about it”

“I don’t know if it’s good, you’ll have to tell me.”

“Tell you what, exactly?”

“Who’s your soulmate? What are they like?”

Fuck. She really should have thought of something to say. The problem was, if Priyanka told Boa what was happening, that Lemon was her soulmate and only she knew, she would end up trying to take things into her own hands. That would be… disastrous. She just wanted to have everything go at her own pace. She could come clean to Lemon once they were good enough friends, and then they avoid the awkward ‘we don’t know each other well enough to officially date but also we’re soulmates so automatically we’re kind of dating anyways’ phase. Everything would fall into place. She just had to lie to her best friend for a bit. No biggie.

“Helloooo? Pri? You there?”

“Yeah I’m here. Just zoned out”

“God, did you even meet your soulmate?” Here goes nothing.

“Yeah. We’re uh, taking it slow for now. We bumped into each other when I was walking home. We’re just keeping things on the dl so we can really get to know each other first.”

That didn’t fully satisfy Boa. She wanted to know far too much far too quickly, but Priyanka managed to dodge the giveaway questions. It wasn’t easy, but she survived that phone call without giving anything away, feeling a sense of dread for when she’d eventually have to tell the truth.

The next day, Priyanka and Boa are joined by Lemon at lunch again. She sat herself down with blushing cheeks and a toothy smile, and without even greeting her new friends first, she asked “Can you tell me everything about Gothy?” Priyanka tried her best not to show her distaste towards the girl, and instantly asked why, trying not to sound defensive already. Maybe it was nothing.

“She asked me on a date. I think I’m gonna go.”

Priyanka wanted so badly to tell her not to. But she still just wasn’t ready. What stung the most was Boa, whispering into her ear, telling her that at least Lemon’s not being shy about her soulmate. Priyanka left lunch early that day, not without warning Lemon to be careful.

-

Gothy was in a few of Lemon’s classes, but she found out on the girls second day that they had gym together too. She didn’t mean to see her mark, honest. But she did. And she was the new girl. So why shouldn’t she have some fun? It’s not like she had a soulmate she was betraying, her whole body being void of a date.It was easy to flirt with her, easy to ask her out, and easy to get her to say yes. Lemon probably assumed that Gothy was her soulmate, and was finally trying to make a move. She couldn’t be more wrong. 

-

“Hey Boa?” She couldn’t believe it took Gothy trying to play some stupid fucking mind game for her to finally tell her best friend that she was gay. But hey, at least she was doing it.

“Whats up Pri, you ok?” Her voice sounded crackly over the phone, but talking about this in person was just too nerve-wracking.

“I uh, lied, about my soulmate… It’s actually Lemon”

Silence. 

“No, Lemon’s soulmate is Gothy, why else would they be going on a date?”

Well, at least she didn’t question the part where her soulmate’s a girl, right? Always look on the bright side.

“Well. You and me both know that Gothy would do anything to fuck me over, ever since we fell out last year she’s been waiting for the right opportunity. She knew my date. I don’t know how she saw Lemon’s but she must have at some point, or maybe she told her? Either way, Gothy’s mean, but she’s smart. She’d have figured out it was me and Lemon in no time”

“They have Gym together”

“Oh.”

“Okay but what about Gothy’s soulmate?”

“Gothy doesn’t have one. She told me when we were friends and I just kept it a secret because, well I guess it's not really anyone’s business. But now she’s just causing trouble”

“I had a feeling it was Lemon. They way you look at her, it makes me want to meet mine. You do realise you’re going to have to tell her at one point though, right?”

Telling Boa was one thing. Coming clean to Lemon? Yeah she wasn’t ready for that, at all. Especially not with Gothy involved. It pained her to hear Lemon gush about the girl every other day over lunch, she knew Gothy could be charming, and when Lemon had flirted with her she felt desired. They would be a perfect pair. Except they’re not. Because Priyanka is her soulmate, not Gothy. And there is only one way Lemon could find out.

-

About two weeks had passed of Priyanka trying her best to ignore Lemon and Gothy’s relationship when she got a text from the yellow haired girl at 1am on a Wednesday night (technically Thursday morning).

lemmy<3: u were right about gothy :(

Her heart sank. Sure, if she and Gothy ended things, it made everything so much easier for Priyanka, but it still didn’t feel nice to see her soulmate upset.

pri: Oh no what happened??

lemmy<3: ik its super late

lemmy<3: and u don’t have to say yes like at all. pls feel free to tell me to shut up n go to sleep

lemmy<3: but could i maybe come over and sleep at yours tonight? i need some company

lemmy<3: i need ur company

pri: Ofc, come through the back, it’s quieter. I’ll be waiting there for u 

Lemon was there in no time. When the back door opened, tired eyes met teary ones as Lemon ran forward to hug her friend. She would feel bad about crying in front of someone she hadn’t even known for that long, but something about her presence made her feel like she was at home.

Priyanka lead Lemon up to her bedroom, and they lay side by side on her queen sized bed, faces staring up at the ceiling, and sour tears slowly hitting the pillow. It was silent for a while. 

“Hey Lem, we have school tomorrow, you should try and get some sleep hun, you’re going to be exhausted.”

There was no reply, Lemon just turned onto her side, facing away from Priyanka, her shoulders shaking slightly, she was trying to keep them still. All Priyanka could do was turn around and wrap her arms around the girl. She played with her hair until she heard the sniffles turn into light snores. She couldn’t help but think they sounded cute. 

Gothy wasn’t mentioned again until the Saturday night after the incident, when Lemon had stayed over for the night, at Priyanka’s suggestion. The soft yellow glow of a lamp was the only thing that lit the girls faces as they talked into the hours of the night. Just as Priyanka was changing into an oversized long shirt for bed, Lemon spoke up about Wednesday night.

“I met my soulmate the day I started at school. There was no way of telling who it was, not with the amount of people I met that day. So when Gothy asked me out, I just assumed that she knew we were soulmates. I found out the hard way that that was so fucking far from the truth” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and it sounded so fragile, as if she could barely keep it together. She almost laughed at the end, though it was empty and void of any humour.

“How did you find out?” Priyanka began to make her way back to the bed, Lemon just stared at her.

“How do you think? I looked, there was no mark, not anywhere. She didn’t even acknowledge it when I pointed out that it was just, nowhere. I left. I’m just happy I realised before we did anything, you know?”

Priyanka shivered at the thought of Gothy taking advantage of Lemon like that, she felt guilty. She could have avoided this if she had just told Lemon. But it was too late now, even if she told her tonight, it would be like salt on an open wound. She’d give it another week, for Lemon’s sake.

They didn’t talk about Gothy after that. They were both quick to move the conversation as far away from romance and soulmates as possible, and once the touchy subject had finally been forgotten about, the hours passed like minutes and soon enough Priyanka’s eyes felt heavy.

“My head hurts” 

“It’ll be because you’ve had your hair up all day, Pri, just take it out”

“But it’ll still hurt once it's loose!” Lemon chuckled affectionately at her friend’s whining. 

“C’mere” 

Priyanka didn't even fight it. She sat opposite Lemon on her bed, so their knees were touching. Lemon turned her to face the other way, and took her ponytail out. 

“Lie down” She patted her lap for Priyanka to lay her head there, and the girl happily complied, giving out a content sigh when she felt gentle hands massage her scalp. It didn’t take her long to drift off to sleep, never feeling Lemon take her hands away from her hair.

It was once Priyanka had been asleep for maybe five minutes max when her leg moved, causing her shirt to ride up just enough to see the date marked on her thigh.

-

When Priyanka woke up, Lemon was nowhere to be seen. She was going to check downstairs to see if she had decided to grab herself breakfast, but she noticed a small handwritten note on her bedside table.

“i started to feel sick so i went home just after you fell asleep. didn’t wanna wake you up. -lemon”

Priyanka sat on the edge of her bed with a huff. She seemed fine last night, so how could Lemon have fallen ill so quickly? That was when Priyanka caught her mark just out of the corner of her eye. If she could see it when she was sat down, then…

Shit. Fuck. She needed to talk to Lemon. She couldn't just show up at the girls house, she didn’t even know where she lived, so she settled for the next best thing - ringing her until she picked up or turned her phone off. She lost track of how many times she had pressed the call button by the time she got a text back.

lemmy<3: what is it?

priyanka: you didn’t leave bc you were sick, did you?

lemmy<3: why didn’t you just tell me? Instead of letting me wonder and wonder and end up getting hurt?

priyanka: please come back and let me explain! I promise i won’t keep you long

lemmy<3: no, not today. sorry.

Her messages stopped getting delivered after that.

-

Priyanka and Lemon didn’t see eachother again until lunch on Monday, when Lemon hesitantly sat down at the table, already occupied by Priyanka and Boa. Priyanka just looked up at her, smiling sadly, and hoped that she’d at least stay for lunch. 

Lemon wanted so badly to find somewhere else to sit. She didn’t hate Priyanka, she could never, and she wasn’t mad either, she didn’t think. She just needed some time to digest. Priyanka had weeks to come to terms with the fact that they were soulmates, and Lemon found out after she discovered she had been lied to about hers by someone else. 

They both looked like shit. Priyanka couldn’t find it in herself to smile as much as she normally does, and Lemon’s shoulders lost their usually perfect posture. Plus, she had resorted to wearing her glasses to school, even though she hated them. Crying in contacts was never good for her, and right now she couldn't quite hold herself back for a whole day.

Boa noticed something was off between them not even a minute after Lemon sat down, she had wondered why Priyanka had been so withdrawn over the weekend. Guess she had her answer.

“Okay, so I’m just gonna go… you two need to sort out whatever is going on between y’all, kay? Kay.”

Neither of them said anything for a minute. Priyanka just played with her food, while Lemon played with the idea of taking off her glasses so she didn’t need to see Priyanka have this conversation with her. 

“I uh, couldn’t really sit anywhere else. I don’t have many other friends after what happened with Gothy. Now I’m the new girl who fell for a girl without a soulmate. I didn’t even like her that much. I don’t feel connected to her.” Priyanka hummed in response.

“Do you feel connected to me?” She hoped Lemon would say yes.

“I don’t need to answer that; we’re soulmates, Pri. I wish I knew that sooner though”

“I know. I know and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was just scared. I was scared because I knew that I’d meet you, I knew you were coming, and I was still taken aback. I didn’t expect this stunning, flirty, yellow haired girl who is funny and caring and-”

“Stop it. I know I’m great” Lemon flipped her hair behind her as she slipped into a mock valley girl voice. 

“See! That’s what I mean. You must be hurting, so much, and you’re sitting in front of the girl who was so shitty to you, cracking jokes?” Lemon laughed softly, a pity laugh if anything.

“ Yeah, you’re right. I am hurting,” her tone lacked any humour from before, “ And I get that you were scared and didn’t know what to do, and I’m not mad or anything. I promise. I just- can we maybe not speak for a bit? Get some space? I just need time. God, I hate it when people say that, but I think that’s what I need. And I promise, when I’m over whatever I’m feeling, I will more than gladly start this adventure with you. I’m glad you’re my soulmate. I promise”

And with that, Lemon stood up and left.

-

It was only Wednesday afternoon when Priyanka next heard from Lemon. Though she couldn’t complain, she had started to miss her before she even left the dining hall two days ago.

lemmy<3: i miss u

pri: not that i’m not happy to hear from u bc i am, but what happened to space?

lemmy<3: fuck space

pri: ok yeah

pri: fuck space

lemmy<3: what are u doing rn? 

pri: nothing, why?

lemmy<3: we’re going to the beach

pri: right now? it’s a school night? and it’s like 6, there’s not much time

lemmy<3: we’re watching the sunset. pick u up in ten. see u soon x

Priyanka didn’t know Lemon could drive until she pulled up outside her house, windows down, looking as beautiful as ever. She was quick to hop in the passenger seat and let Lemon drive to the sound of the radio and the wind. She tried, really tried, to keep her eyes ahead of her, but she couldn't stop stealing glances at Lemon. Her eyes were focused on the road, and the ends of her lips were upturned slightly. She looked happy. It suited her.

The beach was colder than they had anticipated, but it gave them an excuse to sit closer to each other as the sky turned pink and purple and orange. They talked in soft voices, just loud enough for the other girl to hear clearly, but that made their words seem more intimate. There was one point, where the sun had just begun to disappear behind the sea, when Lemon reached for Priyanka's hand, who took it back and squeezed it lightly. Lemon’s head rested on her shoulder until the sun was completely replaced by a black sky and a myriad of stars looking down on them.

The drive home was quiet, they were both tired, and both hyper-aware of the fact they’d have to wake up early for school tomorrow. But tomorrow didn’t really matter much, not when they had their whole lives to spend together. Lemon dropped Priyanka off at her house with a hug, a beaming smile, and a promise to text her when she got home.

Priyanka received a text from Lemon much sooner than she expected, after only five minutes of Lemon being gone.

lemmy<3: come outside

lemmy<3: i think i forgot something

She opened her door to see Lemon looking at her with stars in her eyes.

“Lem I really don’t know how I can help if you’ve forgotten something, we went in your car.” Priyanka sighed, “okay, what did you forget?”

“This”

And just like that, Lemon took a step forward and pressed their lips together softly. They stayed like that for a minute, Lemons arms around her neck, their lips slowly moving against eachother. It was surprising how easily they just fit together. They felt like they could stay like this forever, but eventually Priyanka pulled back, knowing they’d have to stop eventually.

Juice was never really the best at outwardly expressing her feelings. Even when she tried to open up to her best friend from childhood, Lemon, it was as if the words got lost somewhere between her mind and her mouth. And as someone with far too many emotions to keep bottled up safely, she needed a way to let them out. So she began to write songs. Over a few years, she taught herself to play a guitar she had found stocked away in her home, which had been surprisingly intact and functional for it’s age.

At first, her songs were mediocre at best. The chords sometimes wouldn’t sound right together and she couldn’t really get the lyrics to flow in the way she wanted them to, but after writing and writing she started to find her sound. And it was good. Once she was truly happy with the content she was creating, she didn’t want to keep it to herself any longer. It’s not like she wanted to become famous, no, the idea of fame scared her shitless. But she wanted somewhere to put her work, she didn’t care if one person or one thousand people listened. So she made a small Instagram account. It didn’t have her name, and she didn’t tell any of her friends, but over time it acquired a small but surprisingly active following.

It was Friday night when Juice started on a new song. It was one she had been meaning to write for a long time, but was about something she was scared to even admit to herself. Feelings she was scared to face. Feelings for Lemon. They had been there for a while, festering under the surface, and only recently had they gotten out of control. Nothing had triggered it, not particularly, but suddenly she had found herself thinking about her friend far too often to be considered platonic. They had been best friends for as long as Juice could remember, and she knew she was far into the friend zone. Lemon would flirt often, make jokes about them becoming girlfriends. Which was fine. It meant she was comfortable enough in their friendship. And as long as Lemon loved her in any way, Juice was happy. Or at least, that's what she told herself.

She was in the middle of writing her very first song about the girl when her strumming was interrupted by her phone ringing. Loudly. She should have remembered to just put it on mute. It’s ringing startled her enough to be taken out of the zone she was in, so she decided the least she could do was check who it was. And she figured the universe had decided to play a massive practical joke on her right at the moment, because the caller ID read “lem”. She answered it anyway, it was Lemon after all, how couldn’t she?

“Lem! Hi!” She cursed herself for how smitten she sounded, Lemon would be quick to figure out her feelings if she wasn’t careful.

“Juicy! What’s up? What are you doing right now?” Juice’s heart stopped. Partly because of the nickname that she still hadn’t gotten used to, and partly because she has no idea how to answer that question without having to explain why she’s kept this hobby secret for so long.

“Umm, well”

She didn’t actually know why she had kept this from Lemon all this time. Maybe telling her would be good, maybe it wouldn’t even change anything. So she bit the bullet and made the split second decision to let the cat out of the bag. She didn’t have to say what, or who, she was writing about, right?

“I was in the middle of writing a song, you actually kind of scared me, my phone was so loud” There was a beat of silence. Juice bit her bottom lip nervously and just hoped she wouldn’t be asked a question that she was absolutely not ready to answer.

“You were- since when did you write songs? Juicy how did I not know about this? Can you even play any instruments? What do you play?”

These questions, Juice could deal with.

“I uh, started a few years ago, didn’t tell anyone because I wanted it to be something I could keep for myself, and I taught myself guitar after I found one in that spooky cupboard you can never go into.”

Lemon chuckled, causing Juice to blush instantly. Because of course she did.

“Wow. Years, huh? Why didn’t you tell me though?” Juice didn’t expect her friend to sound almost hurt by the fact that she had kept this from her. But then again, they tell eachother everything. She didn’t really know why she never told Lemon. Maybe she was scared of opening up too much, sounding dramatic. Maybe she was scared she wouldn’t like her songs. Maybe she was scared she would.

“I don’t know Lem. Just didn’t come up I guess”

“Well, can I hear one? What about the one you’re writing now?”

“Not yet. Maybe next time you come over once it’s finished.”

“Oh. Okay, yeah, definitely. Well I’ll let you finish it then, text me when it’s done!”

When Lemon hung up, the silence of the room fell heavy on Juice’s ears. Obviously, she wouldn’t show Lemon the song she was writing just then, but she didn't have to know that. She would show Lemon a song she wrote a month or two ago, she remembered it well enough and it’s not about anything too serious that Lemon doesn’t already know about. No harm done. Easy.

~

Lemon was set on hearing at least one of Juice’s songs. She couldn’t believe that after knowing her for so many years, she had hidden this from her! It’s not that she was angry, she wasn’t, she just wished she hadn’t missed out on all this. She wondered what she could have written about over the years, what she writes about now. She wondered what her voice sounded like, would it be smooth and silky, or breathy and soft? What would her songs even sound like? Does she have her own special sound, distinctive from everyone else? She just wanted to know. She wanted to hear them.

When Juice finally performed a song for Lemon, she was speechless. They sat on Juice’s bed, candles burning on the windowsill and hot chocolates resting on her nightstand. The moon shone from the window, it was quite late, probably too late to make any noise, but nobody was home to hear, so neither girl tried to keep quiet despite the late hour. From the moment Juice started to pluck a soft pattern on the nylon strings of the old guitar, she was mesmerised. The melody was soothing, and her voice was soft enough to send her to sleep if she closed her eyes for too long. It was a beautiful song, about a story Lemon had already heard a thousand times before, but never in this format. That made it feel brand new.

The pair fell asleep soon after that, limbs tangled in Juice’s bed just like all the other times before, except a soft humming could be heard that sent Lemon straight to sleep in her friend's familiar arms. Juice wished it could be like this every night. But her and Lemon were just friends, eventually she’d be okay with that reality. She’d have to be.

It didn’t take long for Lemon to find Juice’s account dedicated to her songs. After she went home that morning she went straight onto Instagram, remembering something Juice had said about an account where she puts all her music onto. At first, she didn’t quite know where to look, but she ended up searching through the followers and following on Juice’s main account and eventually stumbled upon it. She just wanted to hear more.

Lemon checked the most recent video posted, expecting it to be the same song Juice had performed for her the night before, since she had been told it was the one her friend had just written, the one she had interrupted the writing of. It took her a minute to realise the song was definitely not the same, but she didn’t think too much of it, maybe she hadn’t posted that one yet. Hearing one of her songs before anyone else made Lemon’s stomach do a little flip, something she was growing used to around her friend.

As Lemon scrolled through the account, listening to each and every song, she encountered one that sounded extremely familiar, posted months ago. It was the exact same one Juice had performed to her. But if she had only just written it, how had it been posted months ago? She tried not to dwell on it for too long, opting to just enjoy the music instead. Once she had sifted through every video, she followed the account, wanting to hear everything her friend came out with.

Juice’s songs were special. They allowed Lemon to feel more connected to her friend; she always felt as if Juice was biting her tongue, holding back. All she had ever wanted was Juice to open up around her, and if it was through her breathtaking music, then so be it. Some songs were about stuff that Lemon had never heard her friend even mention before, and she was tempted to give her a ring or text and ask her about them, talk more into detail about the contents, but she always stopped herself at the last minute. If Juice wanted to talk about something that was bothering her, she would talk. Maybe she was scared to. 

-

Juice almost screamed when she saw the notification that Lemon had followed her account. She looked over every one of her posts, making sure they were all good enough for Lemon to see. She wanted Lemon to love her music now she knew about it, and hoped she would bring up one of her songs to her. She wondered which song would be Lemon’s favourite, and why. She wanted to know how many she had listened to. Had she just followed the account and left it at that? Had she watched her most recent video? Had she listened to all of her posts?

So Juice waited. She waited for Lemon to bring it up. But even after posting a couple of new songs, she got nothing. She was quick to come to the conclusion that Lemon wasn’t really looking at her new posts, though in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth. When Juice figured Lemon wasn’t listening to her new music, she found the courage to post her song about the girl. It wasn’t very specific, it was clearly about a girl she had some strong feelings for, but there were no identifying details that could lead to the conclusion of the song being undoubtedly about Lemon. This meant if Lemon did happen to hear it, there was no way she would know right off the bat that the song was about her. She didn’t need Lemon to know her true feelings.

When Juice posted her first song about Lemon, the feedback had been overwhelmingly positive. She received a few more likes than usual, and the comments were filled with well wishes for her and the mystery girl she had written a song about. But there was nothing from Lemon, as usual. Juice was confident that she wasn’t listening, so she posted more and more songs about her. It wasn’t like she only ever wrote about Lemon anymore, though she was definitely getting more comfortable doing so and began writing about her more often than not, allowing herself to fall deeper for the girl. As she posted more songs, they became increasingly more specific, but never enough to allow her to be figured out. Someone would only be able to tell it was Lemon if they were actively looking for that specific conclusion.

-

Lemon couldn’t believe it when she heard Juice’s first love song. She watched her best friend’s eyes light up on her screen while singing about this mystery girl, but there was something else to her facial expression that made it all seem bitter sweet. Maybe it was the way her eyes would lose that sparkle for just a moment every once in a while, or the way her lips never really formed into the beautiful smile Lemon had gotten so used to over the years. The song itself was beautiful, as always. Juice sounded as if she meant every single word, truly singing right from her heart.

It hurt Lemon a little to find out Juice felt so strongly about someone and hadn’t told her, but perhaps she was just getting round to it. It hurt her even more that it wasn’t Lemon she was singing about. She knew she had liked Juice for a while, but tried to keep things platonic in fear of her feelings not being reciprocated, and it looked as if that was the right move because now she was listening to Juice sing a love song that wasn’t about her.

Even though she knew she would be hurt by the truth, Lemon was determined to find out who Juice had been singing about in her more recent posts. Each song hurt to listen to more than the last, because she was creating a fantasy where Juice was actually singing about her. It was only made worse that everything Juice said about this girl and their relationship could be used to describe Lemon. She just needed confirmation that it wasn’t her and then she could move on with her life as Juice’s friend. And be content with just that.

Her idea was simple, but effective. Just ask her. Juice was a terrible, terrible liar, made worse when it was Lemon she tried to lie to, so she knew she’d be getting the truth about whoever this girl was. All she had to do was try not to show her feelings, and try not to get jealous of this girl. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?

-

Juice enjoyed whatever time she could spend with Lemon, but nothing could beat when she stayed over. They turned on fairy lights and lit candles before making hot chocolate and turning on netflix, watching from the comfort of Juice’s bed. Maybe she liked it so much because they always ended up tangled together. She just liked the way Lemon’s skin felt against hers, even if it was just some small brushes under the covers. 

They were chatting about nothing in particular when Lemon changed the subject without warning, something she always did.

“Hey Juicy, I’ve loved your songs lately by the way. Not that I don’t always love them. I just thought I’d tell you” 

Juice’s heart stopped. She could practically feel the colour drain from her face. Lemon listened to her songs. Her recent songs. 

“You’ve heard my new ones?” Is all she could get out.

“Duh! I’m your number one fan, juicy”

“Oh.”

“Just one question though, who are all the love songs about?” Juice wouldn’t really describe them as love songs, more like ‘hopelessly crushing on my best friend who I have virtually zero chance with’ songs. But sure, love songs it is.

“Lem. You can’t really write a love song about a stupid crush. Love is a very strong word, I don’t love her. I can’t”

“Honey, you’re in love. You can see it in your eyes when you sing about her. Must be some special girl, huh?” Lemon rubbed salt into her own wound with every word she said. It almost physically hurt to ask about this girl Juice was so clearly smitten for, knowing it wasn’t her.

“Yeah. She’s special. But you don’t get it Lem, I can’t be in love with her. I just can’t”

“Why not?”

Juice just shook her head, defeated. She knew the answer to that. She can’t be in love because she’s her best friend. It would ruin what they have. She would get rejected. Everything would change. 

Lemon wiped a stray tear from her friend's cheek.

“Hey. Look at me,” she did, “whoever this girl is, would be so, so lucky to have you. I promise you, one day you’re going to find someone who loves you with just as much passion as I hear in those beautiful, beautiful songs. You deserve to be loved by someone who loves you that much. Okay? Don’t cry baby”

The pet name slipped out of Lemon’s mouth before she could stop it, but it felt so natural as she took the crying girl in her arms. They sat there for a while, Lemon whispering little reassurances in her ear, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Until Juice pulled away, took a deep breath, and looked Lemon straight in the eye. She was going to tell her.

“I just- Sorry for crying on you”

But she couldn’t. Love is scary. But Lemon is not. It was a painful cycle.

“Don’t be.” Lemon couldn’t stand seeing her Juice so broken, so she figured she’d try to lighten the mood and try to find out who it was so she could finally just get over her. “Sooooooo, who is it?”

“No, I can’t tell you” Juice managed a weak chuckle, shook her head affectionately.

“C’mon, do I at least know her?”

All Lemon got in response was a nod. She was confused, really. She had set herself up to be told a random girls name and have her heart broken. She would take a few weeks to recover, but eventually Juice and this girl would get together and they’d all live happily ever after. She had prepared herself for that. She had not prepared for tears and love and self doubt and secrets. They had never kept anything like this from each other. Ever since coming out to each other, they had vowed to be one another’s wing-woman, so what happened? The only reason Lemon could possibly think of as to why she couldn’t tell her who, was-

“Juicy...” Her tone felt unfamiliar in her mouth. It wasn’t sharp or soft, it wasn’t happy, angry or upset. It might have been hope. Juice just looked up at her, eyebrows furrowed.

“Is it-”

“Whoever you’re going to say, I can almost guarantee that you’re wrong” Juice almost found it funny that she was about to guess.

“Let me finish,” Lemon looked at her in the eyes, and smiled softly “ Is it me?” 

“I-”

What was she even supposed to say to that? She couldn’t lie, Lemon would see right through it. She couldn’t tell the truth, everything would change. What if Lemon felt weird about it? What if she didn’t want to be as close with her any more? Was she uncomfortable with the idea of Juice having a crush on her?

Lemon giggled softly, “I guess the silence answers that question, huh?”

“I’m sorry. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to anymore. I swear I can just move on and get over it. I really don’t want to ruin our friendship and I’d hate to make you uncomfortable or anything. Are you mad? I don’t blame you if-”

“Shut up” Lemon almost whispered, her soft tone still somehow cutting through Juice’s words like a knife. Juice said nothing. She let the silence take over for a second or two, before Lemon took a breath, and spoke again.

“Shut up, and kiss me”

So she did. Juice had always wondered what kissing Lemon would feel like, but now she was actually doing it, all her expectations didn’t even come close to the real thing. They fit together so easily, the kiss hardly ever breaking, staying as soft as ever. They had all the time in the world, so why rush it?

After that night, Juice wrote countless more songs for her now-girlfriend, and every single time a new one came out, Lemon would say the same thing.

“I like this one. I think it’s my new favourite song. I love you”

Lemon’s birthday was finally coming to an end. Well, it was so late it was technically early, so her birthday had literally ended maybe a few hours ago, but according to her, since she hadn’t slept yet, it was still classed as her special day. She had spent the day surrounded by her friends in her only-slightly-too-small New York apartment she shared with her two girlfriends. Everyone there had all drank a little too much under the excuse that it was Lemon’s party, and that’s exactly how she wants everyone to celebrate. 

The apartment had been filled with belly-laughs and drunken dancing since the late afternoon, when people started to slowly pile in. She had gotten a few gifts, but they never really mattered too much to Lemon anyway, she was a romantic at heart, so the biggest gift she could ask for she already had. In fact, she had two. Priyanka and Juice were her two favourite people, and if you asked her, spending her birthday with them was the only thing she needed. Everything else was just a bonus.

It’s no secret that Lemon liked to feel loved. She liked to be told she was loved and always appreciated having a hold to hold, or an arm around her waist. This only got worse the more she drank, which is why she found herself in bed and waiting for her girlfriends to join her at 4am, still admittedly, quite far from being sober. They eventually tiptoed into the room after a few minutes (but if you asked Lemon, they might as well have taken a couple hours) with Priyanka holding a bottle of water and Juice with some painkillers, ready for when the birthday girl woke up later on.

“Hey, I thought you’d be flat out by now, Lem, you’re still pretty drunk” Juice’s voice was soft and laced with so much love and fondness you could practically hear it with every syllable. Lemon’s response was an unintelligible groan, followed by:

“Nah, want birthday cuddles” The two girls just chuckled at their girlfriend, adorably wrapped up in their duvet, staring at them with impatience. Who were they to deny her of birthday cuddles? They sat down on either side of her, and Lemon practically attached herself to Priyanka instantly, while Juice was happy to pick her book off the nightstand to begin her attempt to finish the chapter she’d been reading. 

She had only gotten through a couple pages before she felt the mattress shift below her, and before she knew it, Lemon had closed her book for her and put it back on the nightstand. 

“You have clung on to Pri like a fucking koala for god knows how long, there is no way you want more attention” Her words seemed harsh, but her tone was anything but. She found Lemon’s neediness endearing really, and also maybe a little validating. Juice liked to feel wanted. Lemon’s response was to wrap her arms around Juice. Juice just let her.

“Pri, c’mere” Lemon’s voice was muffled, from being nuzzled into her girlfriend’s neck, and slightly slurred, since she had absolutely not sobered up, unlike Juice and Priyanka. Pri didn’t even try to argue, she shuffled over so Lemon was completely squished in between the two girls, but she couldn’t complain. It’s exactly what she wanted anyway. 

“Happy birthday Lem” It was whispered from Priyanka as she sifted her fingers gently through her girlfriends hair, and echoed from Juice.

“Happy birthday baby,” Juice could feel Lemon’s soft breaths tickle her neck, but didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she just tilted her head so it was gently placed just above Lemon’s, “You’re my favourite Virgo.” 

“Mine too” Priyanka added, causing the birthday girl to let out a little chuckle, and then a small dissatisfied ‘hmph’

“Wait... why stop at Virgo? Am I not your favourite person regardless of my star sign?”

“Of course, babe. You’re our favourite person ever. Right Pri?”

“Right”