It was after another party. Fi was standing outside, waiting for a friend she was slowly becoming convinced wasn’t coming, when Dani stepped out beside her.

She was alone, which surprised Fi. Fi hadn’t seen her during the party, but she assumed she had come with her boyfriend. The two of them were basically inseparable.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Fi asked.

Dani scowled. “We broke up.”

Fi tried to keep her expression neutral, but a sharp joy seared through her. “Why?”

Dani hunched her shoulders. “Ask him.”

Fi’s joy morphed to confusion. “Wait. He broke up with you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Fi asked again.

“Don’t ask me.” Dani raised her hands defensively. “He’s the one who did it.”

“Didn’t he tell you why?”

Dani didn’t answer, turning away as if looking for someone approaching from the other direction.

Fi peered over Dani’s shoulder. No one was there. “C’mon,” she said. “What’d he say?”

Dani was silent.

“Was it because of me?”

That, at least, caused her to turn around. “Jesus Christ, Fi! Not everything is about you.”

Fi smirked. “Some things are, though.”

Dani huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s none of your business why my boyfriend broke up with me.”

Fi shrugged. “Maybe not.”

“Yeah. It’s not.”

“Okay, at least tell me when,” Fi pleaded.

Dani’s shoulders tensed up. “Yesterday. Now can we stop talking about it?”

Recent. Very recent. “Fine,” Fi said. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Nothing, if you’re going to be like this.”

“And if I’m not?” Fi asked.

Dani looked over at her. “Are you even capable of that?” she mumbled halfheartedly.

“Of course.” Fi moved closer.

Dani didn’t move away.

“How was your day?” Fi asked.

“Bad,” Dani said. “I got dumped yesterday.”

Fi eyed Dani suspiciously. “I thought you said you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t,” Dani insisted. “This where you say, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry Danielle, let me know if you need anything,’ not ‘Give me all the details of your deeply personal breakup.’”

“Oh, I’m so sorry Danielle, let me know if you need anything,” Fi repeated, only slightly sarcastically.

Dani smiled a bit, bumping Fi’s shoulder. “You’re learning.”

“Now give me all the details of your deeply personal breakup,” Fi snickered over the soft ding of Dani’s phone, struggling to hold back a teasing smile.

Dani rolled her eyes, swatting at Fi’s arm before digging her phone out of her pockets, then rolled her eyes again at the notification before shoving her phone back in her pocket. “Well, that’s my cue,” she said. “See you.”

Fi wouldn’t let her heart flutter because Dani said they would see each other again. She would not.

Dani started to walk away, then hesitated and turned around. “Why are you out here?”

“One of my friends is supposed to pick me up.” She definitely wasn’t coming anymore, Fi thought.

Dani seemed to be arriving at the same conclusion. She frowned. “Do you need a ride?”

“Sure,” Fi said cautiously. She wasn’t going to turn down a ride from Dani, or from anyone, at this point- she would rather get home tonight than not. But Dani wasn’t exactly known for her public acts of kindness towards Fi.

That wasn’t to say she was never kind to Fi. In private, she was one of the kindest people Fi knew. She constantly told Fi how beautiful she was; she was constantly reaching out for Fi, to touch her or hold her, and she said it was to remind herself that Fi was real. She was always doing that: saying incredibly cheesy things Fi wouldn’t have believed if they had come from anyone else. It wasn’t just words, either. She was constantly holding doors, buying her coffee, giving her hugs. Just not when anyone else was watching. And not very recently.

“All right then.” Dani pointed to her car, as if Fi wouldn’t recognize it. As if Fi wouldn’t recognize almost everything about her. “Let’s go.”

“Wait,” Fi said. “Weren’t you waiting for someone?”

“She’s not coming,” Dani said. “Are you?” She was already walking towards her car.

“Um. Yeah.” Fi scrambled to catch up. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Dani said. She paused next to her car door, squinting at Fi. “You’re not drunk, are you?”

“No,” Fi said, only slightly offended. Dani had a weird thing about having drunk people in her car ever since one of her ex-boyfriends threw up in the backseat.

“Good,” Dani said.

“Are you?” Fi asked. She knew Dani would never drive drunk, but intoxication would explain the fact that she was willing to be seen with Fi in public.

Dani scowled. “Of course not.” She opened her door, climbing into the car before Fi could reply.

Fi climbed into the passenger’s seat.

“Sorry for the mess,” Dani said. “I’m going to clean it out this weekend.”

Fi had only been in Dani’s car three times, but Dani had said the same thing each one of these times. “You’re good,” she said automatically. “Do you need directions?”

“Yes please,” Dani said, starting the car and carefully shifting out of her parking space.

Fi pulled up directions to her apartment on her phone, passing on information from her GPS to Dani.

Dani followed the directions Fi gave her, and most traffic laws, without complaint, eventually pulling up to a stop in front of Fi’s apartment complex. “Here you are.”

“Yeah,” Fi said, fiddling with her seatbelt.

Dani ran her hand through the ends of her hair. Pulled back in a messy ponytail, the ends were starting to curl- she must be so frustrated with her hair right now, but Fi just wanted to touch it.

Dani bit her lip and looked away, and Fi realized she had been looking for far too long. “Sorry,” she said. “I should-”

“Can I kiss you?” Dani blurted out.

Fi didn’t even respond, just leaned over and pressed their lips together hungrily. “Wait,” she said, pulling back to unbuckle her seatbelt. “Okay,” she said, leaning back towards Dani.

“Come closer,” Dani whined.

Fi giggled. “I’m trying.”

“Try harder.” Dani tugged at Fi’s waist.

“I am!” Fi hit her head on the ceiling of the car when she tried to move, but afterward, she toppled awkwardly into Dani’s lap.

“Ow,” Dani said.

“I guess you could say I took your breath away?” Fi winked.

“No, you couldn’t,” Dani said, unamused.

Fi smirked, spreading her hands across Dani’s body. “You’ll take that back by the time I’m done with you.”

Dani hadn’t finished rolling her eyes by the time Fi was kissing her again. She kissed urgently, her hands moving up to cup Dani’s face. Dani responded eagerly, her hands first moving under Fi’s flannel, then pushing at it until she was only wearing the tank top underneath.

Fi pulled her arms back to let her flannel fall. “Take your sweatshirt off,” she whispered.

Dani scrambled to do so, fumbling with the zipper and shrugging the sweatshirt over her shoulders. She was still wearing a loose T-shirt, but Fi drank her in anyway, before leaning her head forward to rest on the dip between Dani’s shoulder and her neck.

“What?” Dani asked.

“Nothing,” Fi said, turning her head into Dani’s neck and dropping a kiss to her neck. Dani shivered, so Fi did it again, and again, and again, until Dani was shaking.

Fi pulled back, pausing to stare at Dani.

“What?” Dani repeated, faltering under the intensity of her gaze.

Fi reached back, tugging at the elastic in Dani’s hair. “Can I-”

Dani blushed, but she reached up to help Fi untangle the tie in her hair. Her hair fell down her shoulders, and she shook her head to shake it out of her face.

“It’s going to get everywhere now,” Dani whispered.

“I don’t care,” Fi whispered back. “Your hair is so pretty.” She kissed the top of Dani’s head.

“Please shut up,” Dani said, kissing her again.

“Never,” Fi mumbled. “You’re so cute and pretty and-”

“Please,” Dani repeated, kissing Fi harder and brushing her hair out of her face. “Shut up.”

Fi gave in, losing herself in Dani’s lips. There was always time for attacking Dani with compliments later.

“Do you want to come inside?” Fi asked.

Dani stiffened, and Fi immediately knew she had made a mistake. “No,” she said.

“Okay,” Fi said, disappointed. “Well, let me know if that changes.” She pulled away, climbing back into her own seat and checking her appearance in the rearview mirror. Surprisingly, she didn’t look too disheveled.

“It won’t,” Dani snapped.

Fi sighed. “Or let me know if, you know, you decide you’re not ashamed to be seen with me in public and want to hang out sometime.” She lingered, hand on the door handle, waiting for a response, and just when she thought Dani wasn’t going to respond:

“I’m not.”

Fi let her hand drop. “You’re not what?”

“Ashamed to be seen with you in public.”

Fi swallowed, not really sure what to say to that. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” The silence afterwards stretched out for an uncomfortably long time.

“Fine,” Dani said.

“Fine?”

“Yes. Fine. Let’s hang out sometime.” Dani’s grip on her steeling wheel was whitening her knuckles, and her eyes were locked determinedly forward.

“Okay,” Fi said. “I’ll, um, text you?”

“Sure,” Dani said.

Of course Dani would be here. Of course she would be glued underneath her latest boyfriend’s arm.

Fi stared at her. Dani met her eyes briefly before turning away and dragging her boyfriend in the opposite direction.

So it was going to be that kind of day, then.

Oh well, no real loss to Fi if Dani wanted to spend the rest of her life pretending she wasn’t attracted to girls. There were other fish in the sea, as her mom would say.

And speaking of other fish, a girl tapped Fi on the shoulder. Fi turned around, recognizing a girl from her history class.

“Hey!” Fi said, desperately trying to remember her name.

“Fi!” the girl squealed, throwing herself into Fi’s arms.

Fi hugged her back- her hair smelled like cinnamon.

“How are you?” the girl asked.

“I’m good!” Fi said breezily. “How are you?”

“I’m great!” the girl half-shouted, trying to be heard over the music. She leaned in closer.

Fi felt a pair of eyes on her from across the room. She smiled, remembering the way Dani had arrive flaunting her boyfriend, holding him like a shield, to protect her, yes, but also, Fi knew, to make her jealous. Two could play at that game. And hey, the girl in front of her was cute enough. She wouldn’t be opposed to it leading somewhere.

She took the moment to play it up, leaning into the other girl’s touch, reaching out to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

The girl smiled. Fi smiled back.

“What are you doing here?” the girl said.

Fi was in the middle of explaining how she got invited when she felt another tap on her shoulder. She turned around. So Dani hadn’t been able to stay away.

“Danielle,” Fi said.

“Fiona,” Dani said.

“I don’t see your boyfriend,” Fi said.

Dani angled her chin up, tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder. It was glossy and straight- Fi wondered how long she’d spent straightening it.

Dani pretended to be so proud of her hair. Fi wondered what people would think if they knew she secretly hated it and wanted to cut it short, if they knew that Dani’s perfectly feminine exterior was just a shell.

“He’s in the bathroom,” Dani said.

The only place she couldn’t follow him, Fi noted with amusement.

What was the point? People were going to whisper no matter what, and everything Dani did to try to stop it would just make them whisper more. When would she realize that?

And oh. This was not helping. Fi felt like she was watching from outside her body as Dani took her by the hand and led her away from the rest of the party.

“Sorry,” Fi mouthed at the girl she had been talking to.

She really had to figure out what her name was.

Dani pulled her away and up the stairs, into a bathroom. She locked the door, and in one fluid motion, sat on the counter, pulling Fi up against her, wrapping her legs around her waist. “Fi,” she whispered, kissing her.

Fi leaned into it- she knew she shouldn’t, she knew Dani’s boyfriend was just downstairs, but she did, running her hands up and under Dani’s shirt, smiling at the quiet gasps Dani made in response.

Dani’s hands gripped the back of Fi’s head, trying to drag her even closer. She pulled her legs tighter too, rutting against Fi, whining when she pulled back.

Fi kissed up her neck, slow and sweet, stepping back when she reached Dani’s jaw. She tugged on the back of Dani’s rumpled, slowly curling hair, forcing her to look up at Fi. She rested her forehead against Dani’s. “He won’t last,” she whispered. “None of them will. When you get tired of him? Talk to me.”

She moved back, smiling in satisfaction at the look of shock on Dani’s face. She walked out without another look behind her.

Dan didn’t know how to play poker. Most friends would probably take this opportunity to try to teach her, she figured. Not her friends.

“We could play strip poker instead,” Fiona joked.

“I still don’t know how to play poker,” Dan protested. “Don’t you need to know regular poker to play strip poker?”

Fiona shrugged.

“Do you want me to lose?” Dan demanded.

Fiona smirked, looking Dan up and down. Dan suddenly felt very exposed, even though her jeans and long sleeved T-shirt were covering most of her body. “I mean. I wouldn’t be complaining.”

Dan’s face flooded with heat. Fiona was still joking. Right?

“We can’t play strip poker; Dan’s the only straight one here,” PJ joked, bumping Dan with her shoulder. “I wouldn’t want her to feel left out.”

Dan dropped her cards. “I-”

“PJ! Leave the poor girl alone.” Chris elbowed her and smiled across at Dan. “I want you to know, Dan, that I support your heterosexuality, even if PJ doesn’t.”

“Thank you,” Dan mumbled, trying to pick up her cards without letting anyone else see them. Not that it mattered. She was still going to lose.

“I don’t,” Fiona deadpanned.

Dan rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Fiona. Glad to have a friend I can always count on.”

“Of course.” Fiona smiled sweetly.

They played regular poker, to Fiona’s disappointment. Dan lost. Multiple times. She idly wondered what happened in strip poker if you ran out of clothes to take off. Did you just start tearing your skin off? Was that the end of the game?

Chris and PJ left early, claiming they needed to work on a group project (“It was the only time we could find that worked for everyone, can you believe these people?”), leaving Dan and Fiona alone.

Dan thought it might have been the first time she and Fiona were ever alone together. She had known PJ and Chris for a year or so now, ever since they met in their first semester English class, but they hadn’t introduced her to Fiona, who they had known in high school, until earlier this year.

Dan didn’t dislike Fiona, but she was a little bit intimidating. She wasn’t an English major like Dan, Chris, and PJ, her major was something to do with technology- Dan couldn’t remember what. She was openly lesbian, and Dan was very confused about her sexuality, and the fact that Fiona was very pretty was not helping.

“Should I go?” Dan asked.

Fiona looked confused. “Why would you go?”

Dan shrugged. “I’m the only one left. I don’t know, it feels weird.”

“I mean, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. It’d be nice if you did, though. Besides,” Fiona said, walking to the kitchen and beckoning Dan after her, “Look what I have.” She pulled a bottle of vodka from a cupboard.

“Were you hiding that earlier?” Chris had asked if Fiona had alcohol when they first showed up, and she had said no.

“Don’t tell Chris,” Fiona said. “I provided free alcohol once and now she expects it every time she comes over.”

That did sound like Chris.

“Tell you what,” Fiona said. “For such a special guest, I’ll even get out my real shot glasses.”

“I’m honored,” Dan said sarcastically, but she felt a smile tugging at her lips.

Fiona handed Dan the bottle of vodka and pointed her towards one of the doors in the hallway. “My roommate’s out tonight, but just in case, let’s move this to my room.”

It took Dan a moment to find the light switch in Fiona’s room. Fiona’s room was about what she expected- small, a messy desk in one corner, brightly colored sheets on the bed.

Dan liked it. It felt like a room that belong to Fiona.

Fiona entered the room behind her, holding two shot glasses. She took the bottle from Dan, poured the alcohol into the two glasses and passed one to Dan. “Here you go,” she said.

“Cheers,” Dan said, clinking their glasses together and immediately feeling stupid.

Luckily, Fiona didn’t seem to mind. “Cheers,” she smiled, tossing her drink down her throat.

Dan did the same, grimacing immediately afterwards. She never got used to the taste of vodka.

“Another?” Fiona offered.

Dan shook her head. “No thanks. I’m good for now.”

Fiona nodded, collecting Dan’s shot glass and setting it aside with the bottle of vodka. She sat cross legged on her bed and patted the spot next to her. Dan sat down.

“So,” Fiona said, leaning forward, her chin on her hand. “Are you really straight?”

Dan startled. “What?”

Fiona shrugged. “You got weird when PJ said you were straight. That’s all.”

Dan hesitated. Sexuality was a sensitive subject for her. She’d spent most of her life determinedly not thinking about it. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her, she had reasoned, but lately, she wasn’t so sure.

“It’s okay,” Fiona said. Her eyes were bright and blue, reflecting the light. “I won’t tell.”

“I dunno,” Dan confessed. “Girls are kind of hot, but I don’t know… everyone thinks that.”

Fiona snorted. “No they don’t.”

Dan rolled her eyes. “I mean, not like, a lot. But a little bit.”

Fiona quirked an eyebrow. “They really don’t.”

Dan was starting to feel a bit silly now, but she had come this far. If she backed down now, she’d just feel even sillier. “Girls are always looking at other girls, telling them how pretty they look-”

Fiona laughed. “Dan, you sound like me when I was in grade school. Trust me, when those girls compliment you, they’re not thinking about having sex with you.”

“I mean-” Dan’s face felt warm.

Fiona leaned in closer, so close Dan could smell the soft rose of her shampoo. “Why? Are you thinking about that?”

Dan opened her mouth to respond, but her brain took this moment to go on vacation somewhere very far away. Hopefully it was somewhere sunny. Maybe it even had a beach. Dan wished she could join her brain there.

“Um,” she squeaked. Fiona’s face was very close to her face. Her eyes were so bright, and they weren’t really blue, Dan realized- they were a million dizzying shades of colors all at once, all green and blue and yellow. “What?”

Fiona leaned back. “Sorry. Ignore me. I’m just…” She flicked her hand. “I really need to get laid.”

Dan’s face felt even hotter as her imagination ran in directions it really should not be going.

Fiona noticed. Why did Fiona always notice? “Did that make you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to-”

Dan shook her head. “No!”

“Okay…” Fiona said slowly. “Why are you all red then?”

“Just.” Dan took a deep breath, stalling. “Thinking.”

“About?”

Dan’s face, which had cooled a bit, was hot again. She looked down.

“Oh.” Fiona smirked. “You want to.”

Dan opened her mouth, but her brain was still on vacation.

“It’s okay,” Fiona said. She was leaning forward again, not quite as far as she was earlier. Her hand slipped out to grip Dan’s thigh. Did her eyes drop down to Dan’s lips or did she imagine that? “You don’t need to be scared.”

Dan was leaning in too. Her brain had decided to return from vacation, but all it could focus on was the steady pressure on her thigh, the growing warmth in her core, how achingly perfect and pink Fiona’s lips were.

“Can I kiss you?” Dan whispered.

Fiona hesitated. “Look, Dan, yes, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea- I mean, you’re cute and all, but I think we’d be better off not in a relationship.”

“I wasn’t saying- I don’t want-” Dan protested.

Fiona looked relieved. “Okay,” she said, and quickly closed the distance between them. So quickly that Dan barely had time to react before Fiona’s lips were on Dan’s, and oh.

They were so soft, and Dan suddenly felt incredibly self conscious about how chapped her lips were, how rough they must be, but then Fiona opened her mouth, and Dan could taste the vodka on her tongue, and there was no more room in Dan’s head for insecurities.

Fiona tugged her own shirt off before reaching to tug at the hem of Dan’s. “Can you take your shirt off?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Dan said breathlessly. She lifted it over her head with shaking fingers, balling it up and tossing it to the side, where it landed on top of Fiona’s shirt.

Fiona closed the distance between them again, but she didn’t kiss her just yet. “You’re so pretty,” she whispered. “God, you’re so fucking pretty.” She kissed her then, slow and sweet.

Dan kissed back, breathless, hoping Fiona couldn’t feel how warm her face was getting again.

“You really sleep with boys?” Fiona said. “God, they don’t know what they’ve got.” She kissed her again, pushing Dan so she was lying down. “I’m going to make you feel so good.”

Dan couldn’t help but moan at that, pushing her hips upward against Fiona’s body.

Fiona smiled. “Are you ready?” she asked.

Dan hesitated. She was, but- “I don’t know what to do,” she confessed.

“It’s okay.” Fiona’s voice was soft and reassuring as she straddled Dan, pushing her further into the bedsheets. “I’ll show you.”

***

So maybe Dan was a little bit gay, she thought. Or maybe a little bit more than a little bit gay. That was what having sex with a girl usually meant when you were also a girl. Especially if you really enjoyed that sex.

Dan filed this piece of information away to think about later. Now wasn’t the time to have deep, introspective thoughts. Fiona was lying next to her and being very cute. She should focus on that instead.

“We have to cuddle afterwards,” Fiona pouted. “I always cuddle afterwards.”

Dan rolled her eyes, but she rolled herself closer, so her head was resting on Fiona’s shoulder. Fiona wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. “Don’t be shy.”

“I’m not,” Dan protested into her neck. The rose scent of her shampoo was even stronger from here, and her skin was a little bit sticky from sweat. It was a little bit nice- like they were glued together in the places their bare skin was touching, Dan thought.

It was also a little bit gross, but Dan had decided not to think about that.

“You can touch me,” Fiona said. “It’s okay.”

Dan reached across Fiona’s body, putting a hand on her hip, tracing circles with her thumb. Fiona hummed quietly. “That’s nice,” she said.

Dan’s other hand was a bit too awkwardly positioned to reach most of Fiona’s body, but it could reach just far enough to land in Fiona’s short, dark hair. “Hair,” Dan mumbled, because she wasn’t sure what else to say.

Fiona laughed. “Hair,” she agreed.

Dan thought her head must be short circuiting. It was just hair, she reminded herself. Lots of people had hair. Lots of boys had hair, but she’d never felt this way about a boy’s hair.

Of course, boys’ hair was never this nice. Fiona’s hair was so soft and nice smelling and Dan wanted to run her fingers through it, so she did.

“I like your hair,” she said.

“It’s good hair, isn’t it?” Fiona agreed.

“Now,” Dan said, “No need to get conceited.”

Fiona shoved Dan away playfully. “Hey.”

Dan pouted, opening her arms and giving Fiona her best puppy dog eyes. “Come back.”

“Apologize.” Fiona demanded.

Dan pretended to think about it.

“Apologize for upholding a patriarchal system where women are expected to-”

“Geez!” Dan said. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

“Good,” Fiona said. She moved smugly into Dan’s arms, resting her head on her chest.

They stayed like that for a few moments. The rise and fall of Fiona’s chest was surprisingly calming. Dan tried to match her breathing for a bit- it was a nice relaxation exercise, she thought. Like meditation, except better.

“I have a dumb question,” Dan said.

“I have a dumb answer,” Fiona said. “Hit me.”

Dan tried to resist the urge to make the obvious joke, but failed. “Didn’t know you were into that.”

Fiona kicked her shin. “Hey.”

“Ow,” Dan said, even though it hadn’t really hurt.

“Sorry,” Fiona said, kissing the top of Dan’s head and moving closer so their legs were tangled together. “What’s the dumb question?”

“What’s your major?” Dan asked.

“Philosophy,” Fiona said.

“Oh,” Dan said.

“What did you think it was?” Fiona asked, a hint of laughter in her voice.

“Weren’t you doing STEM or something?”

“Oh.” Fiona’s face cleared of confusion. “I started out as a CS major, actually. I switched last semester, though.”

“Weird jump,” Dan said.

“Not really.” Dan could feel the movement in Fiona’s shoulders when she shrugged. “Theoretical computer science and philosophy are a lot more similar than most people realize. Lots of logic things involved.”

Before Dan had time to feel stupid for not knowing anything about Fiona’s major, Fiona changed the subject. “You’re an English major, right?”

“Yep,” Dan said.

Fiona dipped her head into Dan’s hair. “Ha. I got it right.”

“Right,” Dan said. “You’re a better friend than me. I get it.”

“Aww,” Fiona said. “I didn’t say that.”

“I did,” Dan said.

“Are you saying something mean about yourself?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, stop.”

Dan considered it. “What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I’ll make you,” Fiona said.

“Maybe I want you to.”

“Yeah?” Fiona turned her head to place a kiss on Dan’s collarbone.

“Yeah,” Dan breathed.

“Well,” Fiona said, “I’d love to, but it’s getting really late.”

“Oh.” Dan tried not to sound too disappointed.

“In fact,” Fiona said, reaching to check her phone, “It’s past midnight. You can stay over if you’d like, but if you’re not, you should probably head home. I’m going to bed soon.”

The offer was tempting. Dan kind of wanted to stay like this forever, but she did have a lot of homework to get to the next day, and she didn’t like the idea of running into Fiona’s roommate, or anyone really, the next morning. She didn’t need anyone to know what they had done.

“I think I’ll get going,” she said.

Fiona nodded, though she looked a bit disappointed. She sat up, reaching for her clothes, and Dan thought she might cry at the loss of her warmth.

She thought that immediately sobbing might not be the best look, so she just gathered her clothes and got dressed.

“Did you bring anything else?” Fiona asked, cracking her door open.

Dan shook her head. She had everything she had come with.

“Okay then.” Fiona walked Dan to the door, where she wasn’t quite sure how to say goodbye. A kiss was way too much, probably, maybe a hug? A handshake? No, definitely not a handshake-

“Text me when you get home,” Fiona whispered, hugging Dan tightly. Okay then, a hug. Dan clutched her back, sinking into her warmth. How was it possible for a human being to be so warm?

“I will,” Dan promised, reluctantly letting go.

Fiona nodded, pressing a light kiss to Dan’s mouth. “Good,” she said. “Be safe, okay?”

“I will,” Dan promised again. She stared for a moment back into Fiona’s eyes, wondering if she dared kiss her again.

Fiona shoved her lightly away and grinned. “Now get out of my apartment, loser.”

Dan was normally good at banter, but something about Fiona’s eyes were throwing her off today. “No, you,” she managed.

Fiona rolled her eyes. “See you.”

“See you.” Dan turned away, finally, and started down the stairs, her lips still burning from Fiona’s kiss.

It was colder than she expected outside. Dan had only worn a light sweatshirt- she hadn’t been expecting to leave so late, or for the temperature to drop so much while she was inside. She shivered, pulling her hood up.

Luckily, her own apartment wasn’t too far away- just a ten minute walk. She unlocked her door and slipped in quietly, hoping she wouldn’t wake her roommate up. There wasn’t a light from under her door- she was either still out or she had already gone to bed. Dan stayed quiet as she moved to her room, just in case.

back, she texted Fiona before tossing her phone on her bed. She could really use a shower, but she was also incredibly tired, so she just changed into her pajamas and tossed her dirty clothes on the floor. She could pick up her laundry and take a shower in the morning.

She flopped down on her bed, rolling over to check her phone one last time before she fell asleep.

I had a really good time tonight and I hope you did too :), Fiona had messaged.

Dan relaxed a little bit. Fiona had certainly seemed to enjoy it, but there was always that doubt in the back of Dan’s head.

i did :) Dan texted back. She hesitated, then added, i’m glad you did too :)

Disgusting. Way too many smiley faces. Who was she becoming?