Sky had gotten everything she’d ever hoped for, and in one snap decision, she’d fucked that bright and beautiful chance with Mia up.
Typical.
Even though Mia played along with her superficial “everything’s fine” game, she caught the lingering looks from the woman as well as the pause of hesitation every time they talked. Two days had passed, which meant the weekend arrived, and the buffer of Mia’s job no longer worked.
Today, the tension ratcheted up a few notches—no matter how many weird facts about Ancient Rome she spouted or random offbeat Star Wars trivia she tried to combat the awkwardness with. She’d hurt Mia the other day, she’d hurt herself, and honestly, she didn’t know how to climb out of that pit of despair.
Sky rubbed the towel through her still-drying hair before tossing on her pair of plaid pajama pants and a loose tank top. The thin fabric glued to her damp post-shower skin like paste. Out in the living room, she could hear shuffles and thumps from Mia. She didn’t suppose drinking away the afternoon was an option. Maybe she’d find some answers at the bottom of a bottle.
Sky sucked in a sharp breath and tugged the door open. When she entered the main area, she stopped where she stood. Mia had cleared out space in the middle of the living room and worked through a circuit of intense cardio. She’d stripped to those shorts that left little to the imagination and a loose tee with the straps of a sports bra peeking out. Mia had broken into a sweat, and even though she offered a nod in acknowledgment, she didn’t stop the drop-down push-ups or spring back ups in the middle of her workout.
Sky headed to the kitchen to grab Mia a glass of water for when she finished. The way she looked with her muscles flexing, sweat dripping down her body, and her clothes plastered to her body turned Sky on more than anything. If she hadn’t been such a coward the other night, she wouldn’t just be here watching in the aftermath. Hell, instead, maybe she’d be the one peeling the fabric off her and tasting the salt on her skin as she memorized Mia’s body with her mouth.
The thought got Sky wet in seconds, and she clenched her thighs together to try and distract herself. Nope, instead, she sailed her away on her sinking failboat and pushed the woman she’d lusted after for years away. Good move, champ.
Sky focused on getting the glass of water and pouring herself another mug of coffee that she heated in the microwave. Even still, she noticed Mia in her peripheral, looking all sweaty and gorgeous, her hair pulled into a ponytail and stray strands glued to her forehead. The flush on her cheeks probably looked the same after she—
Oh, Jesus fuck. Head out of the gutter.
The soft sound of Mia’s sharpened breaths wasn’t helping Sky at all. She might as well just pour the ice water over her now—maybe the shock might pull her out.
Tonight. She’d nut up and have a real talk with Mia tonight.
Mia stilled, reaching the end of her workout. Her shoulders heaved, and sweat glistened across her creamy skin, a flush crawling up her from head to toe.
“Thirsty?” Sky asked, holding a cup of water. She withheld her grin. The thirsty one here was her.
Mia bobbed her head, trying to manage words between her heaving breaths. “Sorry for taking up the living room to get that out. I can’t hit the gym right now, and I’m going out of my mind without the usual outlet. Besides, I’m living the single life right now, so I can’t let myself go.”
Sky lifted her brow. “Oh, shush. You’re always gorgeous.” Her cheeks pinked as she realized what she’d said out loud.
Mia’s shoulders tightened, and she glanced away at first. “Yeah, well, I won’t stay that way if I slack.”
Sky swallowed hard. The flirting that had been so natural before now turned awkward in the wake of the kiss they’d shared and how Sky all but bolted from the room. She wanted to say something to smooth the rumpled tension over, but no words came out of her dry mouth. Instead, she thrust the glass of water in front of Mia.
“Here, drink,” Sky instructed, as she grabbed her own cup of coffee and buried her face in it.
“All right, cavewoman,” Mia responded, an amused grin lifting her lips. “Me drink water.”
“I’m going simple tonight with a cassoulet,” Sky said, skimming her fingers through her damp strands, as if she had a chance of dodging her discomfort right now.
Mia snorted. “Simple is burgers, beautiful. Not some fancy French dishes.”
A sinful shudder ran down her spine whenever Mia called her beautiful, especially after she’d tasted those perfect lips. If she said she hadn’t replayed their kiss every hour since it happened, she’d be a damn liar.
“Cassoulet’s easy, not fancy,” Sky protested. “I mean, the duck confit requires some prep-work, and I had the ragout and beans cooked up yesterday, but now I just need to assemble the components, which is simple.”
Mia crossed her arms over her chest and crooked an eyebrow at her. “Look at all those fancy words you’re spouting. You’re talking to the takeout queen here.”
Sky shook her head, a rueful grin on her lips. “If you ever want to learn, I’d be happy to show you the basics.”
Mia’s eyes widened, and her slow grin spread. “Yeah, I’d love that.”
“And don’t worry, I’m great at putting out kitchen fires,” Sky teased.
Mia flipped her the finger. “One. Time.”
Sky began pulling the containers from the fridge and assembling them next to the stovetop where she’d be operating. While she adored cooking at Lumiere and loved the work she did, she found a fair amount of comfort in preparing dinners for her and Mia. If she’d been by her lonesome during this, she would’ve been dining on frozen burritos and pizza, uninspired to cook for herself.
Mia’s phone rang. She pursed her lips and looked down at the screen. “Let me take this,” she murmured, heading over to the futon to take a seat. Based on the storm clouds in her eyes, Sky could place a wild guess as to who was calling.
Sky focused on the prep-work in front of her, the delicious lemon and thyme scents of the duck confit wafting her way. The sausages began to fry on the pan with a sizzle, and she turned them over, getting them well cooked. In the other pot, she crisped the breadcrumbs, adding some duck fat in to give them an extra golden tone.
“Yes, I’m staying inside,” Mia said on the futon, gripping her phone tight. Her voice grew terse. “I’m not homeless, Mom.”
Sky’s heart twisted. Mia and her mother’s relationship had always been complicated. She’d met Ms. Brownstone a thousand times, and while the woman approved of her, Mia’s mom contained the warmth of a freeze-pop. Her daughter was the polar opposite, brimming with downy softness and summer’s heat, and all throughout high school, Sky watched Mia crave the affection she’d never gotten from her mother.
“If the virus gets worse, I’ll still be here at Sky’s,” Mia responded, the tension permeating through the room. “No, I won’t show up on your doorstep bringing the plague.”
Sky busied herself with chopping the finished sausages and pulling the breadcrumbs off of the heat. The oven beeped as it finished preheating, and she layered the cassoulet in a massive dish. This meal would last them a few days, but then again, she loved the convenience of leftovers.
Mia’s voice dropped lower to the point Sky could barely make out what she said. Mia had been dumped by her boyfriend, her mother pushed her away, and still she offered smiles and sunshine wherever she went. Sky’s running away the other night probably added one more rejection onto the stack. She gripped the sides of the casserole container tight. She needed to make this right.
“Fine, Mom,” Mia said. “You stay safe too.” With that, she ended the call and sank into the futon.
Sky lowered the casserole into the oven and set the timer before she made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room. Her heart hammered hard, but she approached anyway, dropping down into the futon beside Mia.
“Your mom called?” she asked, hesitation in her voice.
“Oh, did her blizzard travel all the way over to the kitchen?” Mia responded, her voice like the serrated edge of a knife. “Sorry for the frostbite. She tends to leave that.”
Sky leaned in closer until their legs brushed together. “She’d give Mr. Freeze a run for his money.”
Mia’s eyes glossed over, and panic rose in Sky’s chest.
Mia scrubbed at her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to go bawling my eyes out. I’m just so tired of trying with folks and hoping someone—anyone might care about me as much as I do for them. Mom’s only up to her usual shit.”
Sky’s heart broke then and there. She’d been guarding herself, and in the process hurt Mia, but sitting here witnessing how she tried to hold herself together—Sky crumbled.
Mia removed her hands from her eyes, which reddened from the tears she restrained. She cracked a wavering half-smile. “Sexy, right?”
Sky’s heart thudded harder as she leaned in, tucking a stray strand of Mia’s silken hair behind her ears. “You always are, babe,” Sky murmured. They were inches apart, to the point she could feel Mia’s breath puff against her skin, and she couldn’t find the willpower to pull back.
“Not fucking fair,” Mia huffed out, her smile faltering. “Look, I can accept you don’t want me—par for the course with my life. But the flirting, Sky, it hurts.” Sharp, fragmented pain radiated in Mia’s Atlantic blues, pain Sky had put there.
God, she was such a fuck up. The last thing she wanted to do was make Mia feel the same hurt and fear.
Even though the words stuck in her mouth, she could do one thing right now. Sky leaned in closer until their lips were a whisper apart. The woman didn’t move, but Sky could feel the intense stare on her, and she grew heady from the sheer focus. Mia’s scent surrounded her, her warmth, like she brought the pale sunbeams indoors. Mia made the first move last time—which meant she needed to summon a little courage of her own.
Sky closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to Mia’s.
The woman’s mouth opened to hers at once, and Mia kissed with a desperation that vibrated through her being. Sky wove her fingers through those satin strands, and she sank deeper into their kiss, the honeyed taste one she wanted to return to. Their lips met over and over again, the soft and sinful sensations coursing through her like the caress of hot water lapping around her skin or the balmy sweetness of a spring breeze.
Fear bubbled within her again, the same one that gripped her before. What if she ruined her friendship? What if Mia left her again?
Everyone always left.
Yet Sky pushed through, surrendering to the bliss of Mia’s mouth against hers. She swept her tongue inside, elongating the kisses. She dragged each one out until they both surfaced for breath. Her heart hammered so loud she guaranteed her neighbors could hear, and an engine’s heat roared inside her. She leaned in, desperate to drown herself in this kiss, and Mia began to slide onto her back, down to the futon.
Sky crawled over the top of her, bracing her hands around the gorgeous woman. Her thighs crowded around Mia’s, and the ache in her pussy grew so needle-sharp and intense that her breath snagged. She’d gotten so turned on she was positively dripping.
Mia’s curves pressed into her, and damn, she wanted to touch the woman’s velvet skin so badly. Sky memorized Mia’s mouth with her lips in case this was just a fleeting dream, in case everything crumpled to fragments after this. Her nails curled into the fabric of the couch as their mouths came together again and again and again. She could taste the tang of their swollen lips, mingling with a sugar and cream sweetness she couldn’t help but return to.
As she kissed Mia Brownstone, their bodies melded together in a way that felt perfect, and the years melted away. This was the culmination of every teenage fantasy brought to life, hours and hours spent daydreaming of this reality. Those memories grew so overwhelming they dizzied her mind—high-school Sky wasn’t a version of herself she returned to often.
The sharp reminder of why she didn’t return there pierced through, shattering the haze. Sky sucked in a cool breath. No. This time, she wouldn’t run.
She pulled back from Mia, but she didn’t move from where she hovered over her, palms pressing into the couch. She couldn’t help but stare at the woman beneath her, those pink lips swollen from the way they’d made out, her ocean eyes a little lost and dreamy. The freckles dusting her cheeks were even clearer, and she still had the little scar on the far end of her right cheek from when she’d tripped into a thorn bush on one of their adventures.
Her heart swelled, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
“I’m sorry for bolting the other night,” Sky managed at last, the words feeling foreign on her tongue. “I got freaked out and panicked. You’re my best friend, Mia, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that.”
Mia blinked, and a moment later, she reached up to trace her fingertips along Sky’s cheeks with a gentleness that made her ache. “You’ll never lose me, Skylar Jenkins.”
Sky’s throat thickened.
Mia might offer up the platitude, but the truth was, she had moved away, and if she hadn’t gone through a breakup and returned home, Sky might’ve lost her.
Besides, she’d never forgotten the lesson she learned when Jamie left them—nothing lasted forever.
Those fears clogged her throat, but she couldn’t pull herself away from Mia. This was everything she’d hoped for but also everything she feared most.
For the time being, she’d just have to hold onto this joy while she still had it.