of their hearts and the abstract white noise of the city beyond.
It was more like the other way around, Dani thought.
They’d crossed the line yesterday and now here they were,
playing house, having dinner together, and dancing in the
kitchen like two fools who had it bad. Dani knew she had to
stop, but just like everything they’d done the night before, like
falling asleep with Emily who, true to her word, had been
sleeping soundly on the couch when Dani woke up, it felt
right. It felt so wonderful that Dani couldn’t make herself stop.
She couldn’t make herself stop swaying softly. She couldn’t
stop herself from leaning in and absorbing the heat of Emily’s
body, drinking in the fragrance that clung to her clothing and
hair, listening to the gentle cadence of her breath.
She’d denied herself good things for so long. She knew why
she did it, but right now, she was having trouble balancing
reason with desire. She knew the risks of getting close. That in
getting close, you handed over your trust to another person.
Someone who, even if you knew them for a long time, you
would never know fully and with absolute certainty. Emily
was goodness in and of itself, but even goodness could still
take a wounded heart and break it. Even goodness and truth
and light were absolutely terrifying.
Dani knew all of that, but when Emily raised her head and
stared deeply into Dani’s eyes, she found herself moving
forward, dipping her face, closing the distance between them,
until her lips were on Emily’s. Emily sighed, and immediately
slanted her face so that Dani could deepen the kiss. Dani’s
stomach was knotted painfully, but that kiss undid it all. Her
heart pounded wildly, so loud it turned into a roaring in her
ears.