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The realization of what she’d accidentally implied and what Eli had confirmed hit her like a brick wall. Azalea froze as she set her mug down on the coffee table. “That is not what I meant, but…that’s not what I meant.”
Eli’s laugh rang through the living room. “Oh, you’ll enjoy it, trust me. Here.”
Eli stood up and took both empty mugs toward the kitchen, setting them in the sink. Azalea still sat stunned on the couch. She’d planned for a dinner, staying up late even though they both had to get up early, the constant chatterbox she knew Jewel would be. With a clap on her shoulder, she was shaken out of her reverie.
“Teach, if you want to be there on time, you’ve got to go.”
“Uh…right.” Standing up awkwardly, Azalea saw Eli to the door. She spun around and faced her living room. She wasn’t prepared in the least for what that night was going to contain. Her heart raced. She grabbed her jacket and one of the red roses from the arrangement on her table before sliding into her car.
The parking lot at the high school and the streets leading up to it were packed with cars. Azalea had to park a few blocks away. She should have gotten there sooner, but the sad phone call and visit she’d gotten from Eli had forced her to be late. Her friend needed her.
The auditorium was full of the mumbling conversations of parents, students, and family. It was packed, like it was every year. Azalea slipped into the front row and sat down on the far side of the auditorium. The concert would start in a few minutes, and then she could put her plans into action. Tonight would be a night to remember.
* * *
It was an hour past the end of the concert by the time she helped Jewel finish putting everything away and cleaning up from the concert. The kids were all gone, and there were very few staff left helping out. The halls of the high school were eerily quiet. It was nearly nine at night when they finished pulling the risers off the stage and into storage behind the backdrop curtains.
Jewel put her hands on her hips as she looked over everything. Azalea waited for further instructions, wanting to make sure she stayed as long as Jewel needed help. She had plans for that night. Not the kind Eli had suggested, although that wouldn’t be completely out of the question. She loved the time she spent with Jewel, no matter what they did.
It took another thirty minutes to lock up the classroom and step outside into the warm, balmy end-of-April air. They had been together it seemed for most of the spring at that point, and it was going so well. Jewel stepped next to her SUV, which was parked near the front of the school since she hadn’t left since that afternoon.
Azalea stepped in close to her, closer than she would have ever thought of intentionally doing before that night, but the rumors were running strong and so far the pushback had been minimal. She was planning on telling their supervisors just before summer so they had time to figure out how they wanted to handle it, and if need be, she would leave the district. She could afford to move. Jewel would have a harder time finding a job since she’d started so recently.
“What are you doing?” Jewel whispered as she flicked her gaze toward the front of the school and back at Azalea.
“Kissing my girlfriend to congratulate her on a wonderful concert, if she doesn’t mind.”
Jewel blushed. “I don’t. But you usually do.”
“Well, I’m feeling a little daring tonight.”
“Oh?” Jewel reached forward and gripped the lapels of Azalea’s jacket, dragging her closer. Their lips brushed. It wasn’t a deep kiss, but it was a break from their norm, a break into a new norm, Azalea hoped.
She pulled the rose from where she’d put it on Jewel’s windshield earlier and handed it over. “It was a wonderful concert.”
“You think?”
“Well, you’re the expert, not me, but I thought it went really well.”
Jewel grinned. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” Azalea pressed in for one more quick peck at Jewel’s lips. “Come back to my place.”
“It’s a school night.”
Azalea rolled her eyes. “Like that’s stopped you any other night.”
Jewel let out a nervous giggle. “Do I need my overnight bag?”
“Sure, and maybe, sometime after the summer starts you can bring over more than just an overnight bag.” Azalea dared herself to look into Jewel’s beautiful dark-brown eyes. They were wide with surprise and curiosity, maybe even a little bit of disbelief. Azalea slid her hand down to grip Jewel’s, curling their fingers together. “We can talk more about it when we get home.”
“Home?”
Azalea winked. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Lea!”
She stepped away and shook her head. “In a bit.”
