“But you’re right about a few things."
“Yeah?”
Deciding to throw caution to the wind and see where this will lead us, I hold her gaze as I take a scoop of ice cream and lick my spoonverythoroughly. Her pupils start to dilate.
“Ithasbeen a long day. I've also been uncomfortably wet since our kiss, and I'd really,reallylike to taste you now.”
CHAPTER 04: ARYA
Taste me.
Like my…
Holy shit.
“Taste my pie?” I gasp, immediately covering my face in embarrassment.
Olivia bursts into laughter and pries my hands apart. “Yes, Arya, but we can just kiss if that makes you more comfortable. Or do nothing at all and eat our ice cream. I promise it's alright.”
I trap my mouth shut, attempting to smother another compulsive giggle—but it’s in vain. “Sorry. I don't know why I'm so nervous, I mean I've been with women before. This just feels…”
“Different,” she agrees, cupping my cheek with her warm palm. “Why do you apologize when you giggle?”
With a hard swallow, I drop my gaze to the bowl on my lap filled with melting ice cream. “Sometimes I can't help when I do it. People back home weren't always nice about it, especially kids when I was growing up. I know it can be annoying.”
“That's the first wrong thing you've said all day. I find it endearing.”
I eye her skeptically. “And I find that hard to believe.”
“I'd never lie to you, Arya,” she says softly, moving my dessert to the coffee table. “And I'd never do anything to hurt you. If kissing is off limits, that's fine with me. I mean it. I'll never force you to do something you don't want.”
Tears spring to my eyes unexpectedly, and I cover her hand with my own as I give her a watery smile. “Kissing is very much within limits. And very much wanted.”
Olivia’s breath catches. “Okay,” she murmurs quietly. “Then I’ll take it slow.”
And she does.
When she leans in, it’s unhurried, like she's giving me time to change my mind. But I don't. Her lips brush mine, gentle at first, tentative. The kiss is warm and soft and nothing like the ones from back home, where kissing was always misconstrued as permission to go further.
This one feelssafe.
I sigh into her mouth before I even realize what I'm doing. She smiles against my lips and kisses me again, still gentle, but surer now.
My giggle bubbles free anyway.
Olivia pulls back just enough to smile at me like she’s discovered something precious. “There it is again.”
“I’m sorry—”
She silences me with her lips. “Don’t. Please don’t ever apologize for that.”
My chest aches in the strangest way, half in pain and half relief when she lays me down.
We don’t rush it.
We don’t escalate.
We just lay there, wrapped in each other's arms as the rain taps against the windows, sharing small kisses that feel like promises we haven’t named yet.
