#raappana

Dani blushed and averted her eyes. “Um, I might have told Jake that I had a date? And I would feel awkward telling him that I don’t actually? And besides,” she added, holding up a hand to stop Aubrey from protesting, “think about how happy Barclay and Joseph will be to see you.”

“It still feels weird to call him Joseph instead of Agent Stern,” Aubrey muttered, but Dani could tell that she was starting to crack.

“Pleeeaaase?” Dani said, stretching out the word and grinning at Aubrey with as much innocence as she could muster.

Aubrey stared for a moment, silent, and then finally sighed. “Fine,” she said, holding back a smile as Dani whooped in triumph. “But you owe me one.”

~~

“Hm,” Dani said a week later, as the two stood at the entrance to their hotel room, suitcases in hand.

“It was great of Jake to get all the hotel rooms together,” Aubrey said, staring at the room, “but do you think he might have misunderstood what you meant by date?”

The hotel room was nice, clean and simple and bright, and most of the space was occupied by a single queen bed.

“Uh, maybe,” Dani admitted, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

Aubrey sighed. “It’s fine, I can sleep on the floor, no big deal.”

“No!” Dani said, maybe a little too quickly, and immediately flushed. “Um, I mean, the bed is plenty big, we can both fit without bothering each other, I think.”

Aubrey looked at her curiously, and Dani fought to keep her face neutral. This was stupid, she thought, mentally punching herself. The one bed thing was a surprise, sure, but she would be lying if she said she didn’t have ulterior motives for inviting Aubrey to this wedding. Maybe seeing Barclay and Joseph on their wedding day, seeing how in love they were, would be enough to give Dani the courage to confess her feelings for Aubrey.

Or maybe sleeping in the same bed would do it for her.

“Alright,” Aubrey shrugged, after what felt like an eternity, and Dani let out a relieved breath. “I hope you don’t snore.”

“Uh, no promises,” Dani admitted with a smile, and Aubrey laughed, and something fluttered in Dani’s chest at the sound, the way it always did.

Yeah, she was definitely going to end up cuddling Aubrey by the end of the night.

~~

Two rooms over, Hollis finished unpacking their stuff and turned to look at Jake, who was sitting on his bed with a very smug look on his face. “You gave Aubrey and Dani a room with one bed, didn’t you?” they asked, fighting a grin.

“Of course I did,” Jake answered, practically preening with satisfaction. “If those two don’t end up together after this weekend, they’re officially a lost cause.”

Hollis laughed, rolling their eyes. “You’re a menace.”