“Ifyouhad asked,” I say quietly, “I would have said yes.”
Her breath catches.
Colour rises in her cheeks, but she doesn’t look away this time.
Then I lower my voice.
“Do you want me to?”
A beat.
“Yes.”
Just that. Soft but certain.
She turns toward her room then, suddenly all nerves again. When we get to her door she’s fumbling slightly with the key card. It takes two tries and she mutters a quiet “oh for God’s sake” under her breath.
I step closer without thinking. “Here.”
Our fingers brush as I take the card from her. Slide it into the reader. Green light.
The door clicks open and we step inside. The door closes softly behind us.
And then we just stand there.
Close. Not touching. But close enough that I can feel the warmth coming off her.
Her breathing is slightly uneven. Mine probably isn’t much better.
“To be completely truthful,” she says softly, “Chloe wouldn’t actually have said that.”
I can’t help a small smile. “No?”
She shakes her head.
“What would she have said?”
Ava locks eyes with me. Not shy now. Not hiding. Just… decided.
“Nothing,” she says. “She… she would have just done this.”
And then she kisses me.
It’s not clumsy or accidental. It’s soft but deliberate. Her hand comes up to my chest like she needs to check I’m real. Like she can’t quite believe she’s actually doing this.
For half a second, I freeze.
Not because I don’t want it.
Because I very much do.
Then instinct wins. My hand slides to her waist, pulling her closer. Slow enough so she can stop me if she wants.
She doesn’t.
If anything she leans into me.
The kiss deepens naturally. She tastes faintly of sugar and coffee.
