“You hungover, honey?” Parker asked. She was faux sweet and it was all Cassie could do not to take a swipe at her.
She wasn’t really hungover, just grouchy. Haylee’s house was nice, but Cassie wanted to go back to Parker’s, where there was good coffeeand better company—Erin would never try to talk to her about Social goddamn Security before 10A.M.
When they made it back to Parker’s—not until past noon—the house was quiet; Erin was on shift at the hospital. Cassie tumbled onto the couch in the living room, leaving the love seat for Parker.
“There’s probably anNCISmarathon on or something,” Parker said.
Cassie shrugged more violently than the situation warranted, and Parker sighed at her. She turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Cassie fell asleep before Parker settled on a station to watch.
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
Cassie vaguely knew that voice was for her, but she didn’t want to wake up. She burrowed deeper into the couch cushions.
There was laughter, then, and though she was mostly asleep, Cassie knew it was Erin’s. She cracked an eye open. Erin stood over her in blue scrubs.
“I brought lunch home. Get up before it gets cold.”
She brushed Cassie’s hair off her forehead, and Cassie looked to the other couch. It had a mess of a blanket on it, but no Parker.
“She was easier to rouse than you,” Erin said.
Cassie stretched. “First time for everything, I guess.”
As she followed Erin to the kitchen, she was much happier than she had been pre-nap.
Parker was already eating her burger, two grease-stained bags still full on the counter in front of her.
“I got you a plain burger, so you could dress it however you like,” Erin said, pushing one of the bags toward Cassie. “And I hope a chocolate milkshake sounds okay.”
“Sounds great.” Cassie’s mouth watered at the smell of the burgers and fries.
“Oh, did the nap fix you?” Parker asked. She told Erin, “She was pissy all morning.”
“Maybe I’m just bored of you, princess,” Cassie said, squeezing too much ketchup onto her burger. “Two weeks is a long time.”
“Ha,” Parker said around a bite of burger. “Impossible. I’m too charming.”
Cassie rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. She cleaned up the extra ketchup with a fry andmmmed at how delicious it was.
“Fuck, that’s good,” she said, before remembering she wasn’t just with crass college students. “I mean—sorry.”
She hadn’t meant to swear, but the fry was really good. Erin was studiously not looking at her.
“Ray’s is the best,” Parker said.
When Cassie took her first bite of the burger, she outright moaned, and it was then that she noticed the blush on Erin’s cheeks.
That evening after they’d said their good nights and headed to bed, Cassie did her best attempt at tiptoeing down the hallway. Light shone from beneath the door to Erin’s room. Cassie didn’t knock, too worried about Parker waking up. She opened the door slowly. Erin was sitting up, lamp on the bedside table on, book in her hand.
“What are you doing?” Erin whispered, but she was smiling.
“I haven’t gotten to touch you allday,” Cassie whined. She slipped into the room and closed the door gently behind her.
Erin chuckled and set aside her book. “Well, now’s your chance.”
Cassie beamed. Erin shifted over in the bed to make room, and Cassie immediately climbed in. She tried to kiss her before she was fully settled on the bed. It was worth it, the softness of Erin’s lips and the way her mouth opened immediately, like she’d missed this, too. Then Cassie’s knee slipped off the mattress, and her upper body slammed into Erin.
“Shit,” Cassie said, scrambling to get off.