“Oh,” they said.
The realization crossed their face slowly. Not panic. Just surprise.
They looked at Savannah.
Not checking for damage. Not bracing. Just looking.
Savannah didn’t look away.
She didn’t fill the silence. Didn’t rescue the moment. She just held their gaze, steady and open, like she trusted it to stand on its own.
Tilly’s mouth curved, sheepish. “I mean,” they added, glancing around the table, “I was kidding. Mostly.”
Jamie let out a noise that was half-laugh, half-gasp. “You can’t justmostlylove someone at a dinner party.”
Erin laughed outright now. “You two are ridiculous.”
Savannah finally exhaled. She reached for Tilly’s hand under the table, fingers sliding easily into place.
Tilly squeezed back. No hesitation.
Jamie raised her glass again. “Okay. Fine. I’ll drink to that.”
They clinked glasses. The moment passed, folded gently into the rest of the night without needing to be named.
Savannah leaned back in her chair, listening to Jamie and Erin bicker about something inconsequential. She felt full in a way that had nothing to do with food.
She caught Tilly’s eye again.
Tilly smiled. Small. Certain.
Savannah smiled back.
No bracing.
No wondering if it would last.
Just the quiet confidence of choosing and being chosen, again and again.
When the night wound down and jackets were gathered, Jamie hugged Savannah tight.
“You good?” she asked softly.
Savannah nodded. “Yeah.”
And this time, it wasn’t something she had to convince herself of.
Tilly locked the door behind them after Jamie and Erin left. The apartment settled into quiet. Savannah leaned back against the counter, watching Tilly move through the space like it was theirs too.
Tilly glanced up. “What?”
Savannah smiled. “Nothing.”
She crossed the room and kissed them, slow and easy.
Savannah didn’t pull away right away.
Tilly’s hands rested easily at her waist, thumbs warm through the fabric of her hoodie. The kitchen light hummed overhead. The air still smelled like garlic and wine and something baked that Savannah couldn’t quite name but wanted to remember.
