Chapter Text
“I’m tired. I’m tired, and I don’t want to be here.” Dani crossed her arms and leaned her back against the car door in the parking lot of a gay bar just outside of London.
Bex let out a long-suffering sigh while she continued trying to convince her friend to let loose. “Look. You broke up with Eddie a million years ago.”
Dani held up a finger at that. “One year, thank you.”
Bex rolled her eyes, coming to rest on the car next to her friend. “Fine. ONE year. A whole year after coming out of the closet and you’re just SITTING there working your ass off at that school, never even trying to go out with a girl.”
“I had that one Tinder date!”
“No. You showed up for a Tinder date with an asshole that didn’t even show. It doesn’t count.”
Dani stared ahead. “Technically I tried though.”
Bex nodded. “Yes you did try. That one measly time. Three months ago. And deleted Tinder immediately after.” Dani opened her mouth to speak but Bex cut her off. “And guess what, I will drag you kicking and screaming into literally any gay scene I can until you finally find someone that remotely interests you.”
Dani points her hand at the flashing sign ahead, “But this place? PEACOCKS? That’s awful.”
“It’s an institution!”
“How would you know, you’re straight.”
“And the fact that I’ve been to many more gay bars than you is honestly embarrassing to both of us.” Bex turned to her friend, taking her hand in hers to try and physically tug her out of her mood. “Just give it a chance, ok? For me.”
Dani still looked hesitant but Bex continued, “I swear. You can go in there, look around, have one drink and leave. But you have to TRY.”
“Alright, fine. But only because I’m also thirsty.”
Bex held both hands up at this, “I’ll take it.”
Resigned to her fate, Dani followed under the giant flashing Peacock sign into the bar, which already seemed to be at full swing on this Saturday night. Bodies moved together on the dance floor to a thumping beat. Men, women, and everyone in between filled the place, but they were able to find a small empty table to the side of the room they could claim for their own.
“What did you want?” Bex had to speak loudly to be heard over the music, but now that Dani had adjusted a bit it didn’t feel as overwhelming as when she first entered.
“Rum and coke?”
“You got it, be right back, scope the place out while I’m gone.” With a wink, Bex was off to the bar, and Dani was left to her own devices. She took in the scene around her, hands clasped on the table in nervousness, fingernail finding her thumb to pick while she waited for her friend to return.
There weren’t that many women out tonight, although the ones that were there represented a wide range of ages and styles. Some were already coupled, some appeared to be looking for connection. Several raised their glasses or smiled at her when her gaze paused while passing over them. She noticed a small group of women just off the dance floor, laughing while playfully shoving a friend, trying to get her to walk over to an attractive blonde, who was pretending not to notice.
They all seemed so natural here. As though they fit. Dani didn’t feel like she fit anywhere. She looked down at her skinny jeans and lavender button-up, feeling both over- and underdressed at the same time. She gave another glance around the room and not one woman really drew her eye for longer than a second. Was she too picky? Or was she just so used to pointedly not looking at women that she didn’t know what to do with herself when she could. A bit frustrated with herself, she looked back down at her hands, forcing them apart to stop her anxious habits. This felt hopeless.
She was brought out of her negative thoughts by her friend’s return, drinks in hand. “Hey, my friends Owen and Hannah are over there by the bar, d’you want to go and say hi?”
Dani looked in the general direction where Bex pointed, to see a tall man and his gorgeous girlfriend, arms wrapped around each other and giving her a friendly wave. She returned it and turned a grateful grin to Bex. “Does that mean I can stop looking for a date?”
“No. But you can look from over there.” She grabbed Dani’s arm and pulled her up, dragging her over to the bar with her.
Dani stood a bit awkwardly to the side, never quite sure what to do with herself in groups where everyone already knew each other. But the affable Owen quickly overcame her reticence. He put out a confident hand to take hers. “Welcome, Dani! Hannah and I are thrilled to make your acquaintance.” He gave a slight bow without loosening his grip on his girlfriend, who looked at him fondly.
Unable to resist his mustachioed charm, Dani returned his bow. “And how do you all know each other?”
Owen looked between Bex and Hannah with his mouth agape, clearly not sure how to answer that, but Hannah took pity on him, using her hand to close his mouth. “I actually came here on a blind date with your friend Bex. We got along great, but just as friends. Owen was here with some of his former classmates for a bachelor's party and we honestly hit it off right away, ended up drinking and talking the night away. And the rest, as they say, is history.”
Dani turned to her friend, eyebrows raised into her hairline. “Excuse me. You’ve dated women?”
Bex shrugged her shoulders, “I’ve dated lots of people. Gotta try on different sweaters to see if they fit. Besides, how was I to know if I was straight unless I tried. Which is what you should be doing.”
Dani smacked her on the shoulder as Owen and Hannah laughed.
“I don’t have to tell you everything, Dani.”
“Well you could have told me that.”
Bex grabbed her into a one-armed hug, letting her go after a few moments and a comforting squeeze to her upper arm.
“Well it’s lovely to meet you, Dani. And I’m glad you both joined us, Owen and I have been trying to get our friend Jamie to enjoy herself, but she seems content to be a miserable lump.”
Dani hadn’t even noticed the curly-headed woman at the bar until she turned her head a bit to say “Hey! I heard that!”
She was... pretty, from what she could see of her. Although she seemed pretty determined to look ahead and stay out of the group.
Owen stage whispered behind his hand to Dani, definitely loud enough for Jamie to hear him: “She wanted to sit at home and read instead of coming out to play with us. How rude of her, honestly.”
Dani watched Jamie shake her head slightly, leaning down the bar to grab some peanuts from the communal bowl before popping them into her mouth. She caught a glimpse of a flannel shirt, arms rolled up past her elbows and black jeans before she sat back down again, hidden mostly by Bex’s body.
Noticing that her own drink was empty, Dani excused herself to stand at the bar at the only open spot, next to the elusive Jamie. She leaned her elbows on the edge, attempting to wave each time the bartender looked her way, but his eyes kept passing right over her.
“He can be a cheeky bugger, serves the guys a lot more than us, but he’ll get here eventually.”
Dani turned to her and finally got a good look at her face. Ok, she was very pretty. Her light green eyes shone from a striking face, leading to full lips that held an attractive smirk. She didn’t think she had ever found smirks attractive, it turns out she had been very wrong about that.
Dani coughed a bit to cover up the fact she had been staring, hoping Jamie hadn’t noticed the attention. “So, you didn’t want to come here tonight either?”
Jamie raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh you didn’t? Are we in the same boat here, homebodies experiencing a mutiny by our supposed friends?” She notched her head back to indicate those standing behind them.
“I guess you could say that.” Dani motioned to the seat by her, silently asking permission to sit while she waited for the bartender. Jamie nodded to let her know she was welcome to join her. “Bex is trying to get me into the dating scene.”
“And you don’t want to be in the dating scene... sorry I don’t think I heard your name.”
“Dani.” She reached out a hand to shake Jamie’s, and her heart skipped a beat at the electricity she felt from even such a friendly connection. It was as if her fingers were tingling. She pulled away and made her hand into a fist to preserve that feeling for a little longer. She recognized this was... interesting.
“I, uh, realized last year that I might be, you know, gay.”
Jamie tipped her beer at this. “Well that does explain why you’re at this fine establishment.”
“The name though…” Dani made a bit of a grimace.
Jamie covered her eyes with a hand as if she was embarrassed. “It’s awful, honestly.” She brought her hand down to put it back around her beer. “Everybody calls it The Cock, and I live up the street from here. So when people give directions to get to mine, it’s always ‘turn right at The Cock,’ and I fucking hate it.”
“Oh my god, that is awful.” They both shared a pained laugh at this.
“So, your dating life.”
Dani took a moment to bring a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and she caught Jamie’s eyes tracking the movement. Very interesting. “I broke up with my longtime boyfriend for obvious reasons, and Bex has been trying to get me out there ever since.”
Jamie started peeling the label off her beer when the bartender finally showed up. “What can I get ya?”
“Oh, I’ll have whatever beer she’s having, and another for her. On me.”
“You don’t have to do that.” Jamie went to reach for her wallet but Dani stayed her hand.
“No, I insist. This is the closest I’ve come to a date with a woman so far, let me at least practice.”
Dani could see a slight blush color Jamie’s cheeks. “Alright, practice then.”
They both grinned, although Dani was trying to hide how big hers was getting by clamping her bottom lip between her teeth. Something told her she wasn’t fooling anybody. On the plus side, she couldn’t really bring herself to care at this moment. She could see out of the corner of her eye, Jamie shifting her chair a bit closer to her.
~
The room seemed to shrink until it was just the two of them, their friends forgotten behind them. Through their continuous conversation, they barely registered Owen swinging Hannah into a slow dance, and Bex finding a friend of hers from work to laugh with at the end of the bar.
Dani grabbed Jamie’s forearm that rested near hers on the bartop. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Jamie could barely contain her laughter as she explained, hand out in supplication. “Look, I didn’t know it was like a fancy pool, I just wanted to go for a swim!”
“Did you have to climb a fence for this swim?”
Jamie looked away with a sheepish grin. “Alright you caught me, I knew I wasn’t supposed to be there, but it was so hot.”
“You’re a hooligan, that’s what you are.” Dani sipped at her beer, which she hadn’t realized had gone warm, they had been talking for so long.
Jamie scratched at the back of her neck, a bit embarrassed to admit, “I’ve done way worse, honestly. But those were the dark days.” She went back to picking at the label of her beer.
Dani was turned to her, head held up by her hand as her elbow leaned on the bar top. “You’re reformed now, I see. Staying at home to read unless you get dragged out to talk to assorted bar strangers.”
Jamie leaned her forearm on the bar, hand resting just short of Dani’s arm, so she could lean just a little closer. “Well, you’re not a stranger anymore, are ya?”
Dani felt her cheeks warm, and then she heard the opening bars of Pray by Xana played over the loud speakers. “Oh my god, I love this song.”
“I’ve never heard it.”
“I listened to it on a loop when it came out.”
They looked at each other for a heated moment when Jamie asked, “You wouldn’t want to dance, would you?”
“Are you asking me to not dance?”
Jamie shook her head at Dani’s squint-eyed grin. “Would you like to dance with me?” She held out her hand and waited while Dani looked down at it.
Suddenly their palms were sliding together and Jamie was leading her onto the floor near them, finding an empty spot and turning to pull her into her arms.
The beat and slow tune enveloped them in their own little world, while Dani brought her hands up to slide into Jamie’s hair at the back of her neck, pulling her close. Jamie’s hands spread out on her hips and their foreheads touched as they began to sway.
Electricity prickled under her fingertips as she made lazy circles at the base of Jamie’s neck. She swallowed as her body heated up. This was a new feeling. This need to be closer. Anytime she had danced with her ex, she always found herself pulling away a bit, looking at anything but him. She thought that was normal. Now she knew it was not. Now she knew that it was possible to never want to look away, to never be able to be close enough to a person. To need a person’s touch, their breath on her lips, legs entwining as they sway.
Jamie seemed to agree, as she moved her hands to Dani’s back, fingers gently digging into the base of her spine, then sliding to her ribs. Every touch left a trail of fire on her skin. Every beat of the song ratcheted up their enticement. Their lips were millimeters apart and the song continued.
Now I'm thinking maybe we should ditch this
I know with me, you'll get a little bit addicted
Sugar's pulling up her skirt
The Devil was an angel first
Hands clenched at the fabric of Dani’s blouse, she would never get enough of this feeling. Of wanting while being wanted. Such an empty life she had before this night, when she couldn’t feel this. The song slowly morphed into a faster beat, another song for the masses, but they were stuck in this embrace, staring into each other's eyes in wonder, as bodies around them came to life in the pulsing beat. Dani’s eyes flicked to parted lips, feeling the overwhelming urge to see what those lips tasted like. She was lost in this moment.
Until, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see a very contrite-looking Bex. “Dani, I am so sorry to interrupt you but it’s last call and I need to head home.” Her eyes flicked between Dani and Jamie, taking note of their dazed looks and how they were still wrapped in each other.
Realizing this, Dani slowly pulled away, letting her fingers slide along a shoulder before disconnecting, not quite ready to end this moment. “Oh right! I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize what time it was.” She looked back at Jamie, unsure how to end this and desperately not wanting to.
“Could walk you out? To your car?”
Dani gave a thankful smile and reached down to squeeze Jamie’s hand at the suggestion. Jamie responded by giving a little thumb rub to her knuckles, making Dani a little weak in the knees.
“I’ll just go over and say bye to my mates.”
“Oh they already left, like an hour ago. They didn’t want to disturb you.” Dani saw Bex give a little eyebrow lift at this with a subtle look over to her that she hoped Jamie didn’t see. She elbowed her friend to get her to behave.
Jamie rubbed her forehead in embarrassment. “Oh, I guess I’ll, uh, call them tomorrow. Apologize about that.”
“I honestly don’t think they’ll mind.” Bex’s smirk earned her another elbow to the ribs.
They all left together, and Bex headed to the car while the two women dragged behind, awkwardly shuffling their feet, each waiting for the other to say something. Dani’s thoughts raced. Do I ask for her phone number? Hug her? Kiss her? Move in with her and get three cats?
Jamie interrupted her thoughts, “I don’t know if you’re interested but I, uh, live just up the street.” She motioned toward some flats above storefronts. “I have tea and... water? If you’d want some of that, maybe. Could take you home after?”
Dani turned to look at Bex, when Jamie panicked a bit “No, wait, I’m sorry that sounds so gross, I wasn’t trying to get you to my flat. I mean, I did invite you to my flat, but I didn’t…” In the midst of this Dani turned back with a patient smile on her face. “I’m mucking this up, but I just didn’t want the night to end yet.”
Dani narrowed her eyes slightly, turning to Bex to wave her away before bringing her gaze back to Jamie. They could hear Bex’s door close and the engine turn over but couldn’t seem to tear their eyes from each other. “I do like water and tea.”
“Great. Right.” Jamie offered her arm so Dani could slide her hand through her elbow. They shared a soft smile as Jamie turned, leading the way down the street.
~
The flat was full of green plants and secondhand furniture. It felt crowded enough to be cozy, without much in the way of knick knacks outside of seemingly endless books that Dani couldn’t resist running her finger across the spines of.
“I like your place.” She said, as Jamie went to the kitchen.
“It isn’t much, but thanks.”
“It looks like you.”
Jamie opened the fridge as she answered. “Is that a good thing?”
“Very.” Dani met her gaze across the distance, weighted and sure.
Jamie cleared her throat. “I was hopin’ I could offer you a beer or something but it turns out I really do only have water or tea.”
Dani came over to rest her elbows on the small island in the kitchen across from her. “Water is fine.”
Jamie nodded and reached for two glasses, filling them from the faucet after adding some ice. Their hands touched as she handed it over, eyes meeting, holding their gazes as they drank.
Setting her drink down, Jamie tapped the counter next to her a few times. “I’m glad you stayed.” She kept her eyes down, watching her own fingers as they picked at a broken edge of the formica.
Dani rolled the glass back and forth between her hands as she watched Jamie. “Me too.”
Jamie looked up at her then. “So.”
“So.”
Jamie shook her head and looked adorably nervous. “I, uh, didn’t want you to think I was expectin’ anything by bringing you here, just so you know.”
Dani raised her eyebrows at that.
“I just wanted to talk maybe. Get to know you a little better.” She looked down at her feet and crossed her arms over her chest.
Dani put her glass down and straightened. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” Jamie met her gaze.
“What could you have expected to happen, if you had been ‘expectin’ something?” She made air quotes for emphasis, making Jamie give what Dani now recognized was her signature charming smirk.
“You know, stuff.”
“What stuff?” Dani walked to the edge of the island, hand dragging along the surface as she went.
Jamie rolled her eyes and scrunched up her shoulders as if she was in physical pain having to answer this question. “Oh my god, like, sex stuff. I wasn’t expecting sex stuff, ok?”
Dani nodded solemnly at this. “Oh I see. Sex stuff.”
Jamie hid behind her hands, incredibly embarrassed at having to actually say the words to this gorgeous woman that was in her flat.
“Can we though?”
Jamie dropped her hands at that, forehead scrunched a bit in confusion. “Can we what?”
Dani tapped the island surface twice and grinned. “Do the sex stuff.”
“Oh! Oh, well fuck yes.” She took two long steps to Dani and pulled her in by the neck for a long kiss.
Dani’s stomach filled with butterflies as they slotted their mouths together. Lips parting, tongues tasting. This was... a revelation. As if she had been walking miles in the desert and finally came upon a clear blue lake. Her hands went everywhere. Pulling at Jamie’s hips, her shirt, her back. Anything to get closer in this moment.
At Jamie’s grunt she realized she was pushing her back into a cabinet and pulled slightly away. “I’m sorry, are you…”
“Fuck it, m’fine.” Their lips crashed again, more desperate this time. Dani felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as Jamie’s calloused fingers lightly dragged up her skin, reaching behind her head to grip her hair.
Dani slid her hands under Jamie’s shirt to feel the warm soft skin of her back. She never used to understand how people could be addicted to things. But this woman, her soft curls, her gentle lips, her firm caress, the feeling of her trembling under Dani’s hands. She could do this forever and never tire of it. It made her dizzy when their tongues touched. She could barely open her eyes as she began unbuttoning Jamie’s shirt, desperate to feel more of her skin.
“Bedroom. Where.”
She didn’t allow Jamie to answer her as she captured her lips once more, receiving only a moan in response, as she was pushed backwards and to the right. They separated long enough for Jamie to pull off her own tank top, and then they were back together. Pulling each other in, hands in hair, on Dani’s shirt, breaking buttons off.
“Oh fuck, sorry.”
“I don’t care.” She pulled Jamie back in, taking her bottom lip into her mouth, eliciting a carnal groan. Jamie continued pressing forward until Dani sounded an ‘OOMF’ as she ran straight into the bedroom door jam.
“Oh my god, I swear I’m not trying to injure you here.” Jamie reached for the back of Dani’s head to check for a bump.
Dani leaned forward so she could more easily check her and couldn’t stop the small giggle escaping at the circumstances.
“What are you laughing about?” Jamie asked as she ran comforting fingers through Dani’s hair.
“Oh, just... if anyone told me a year ago I would be getting shoved into door frames half naked by an incredibly attractive woman I picked up in a bar, I would never believe them in a million years.”
Jamie smiled at that. “You think I’m attractive?”
Dani silenced her with a long sure kiss. “Yes. You’re devastatingly attractive.”
Neither could contain their toothy grins as they continued kissing, now moving more carefully through the open doorway.
“You know.” Between kisses. “One could argue.” Another. “That I picked you up in a bar.”
Dani answered by turning Jamie and shoving her onto the bed, crawling up her bra-clad torso, ending face to face. Her hands were planted on either side of Jamie’s head on the bed, legs straddling one thigh.
“You probably could. We can flip for it later.” Their mouths met again, and Dani was feeling an absolute thrill at covering this gorgeous woman’s body. The feeling of their skin touching when she lowered herself set off fireworks under her skin. When Jamie reached behind her to unclasp and remove her bra, then her own, that feeling intensified and she couldn’t wait to feel everything. Everywhere.
She flipped her hair to the side and trailed her mouth down a soft neck, and she finally understood why Eddie was always trying to slobber over hers. Every touch resulted in a new different sound from Jamie. She gasped when Dani nibbled her jawline, her breath hitched when she lightly sucked on her pulse point. The absolute power she felt at being able to elicit sounds of pleasure from this woman gave her unending confidence to continue. To explore. To feast.
She continued her path down her chest, taking time to lick and lightly bite: first one nipple, then the other. She needed to taste everything. Hands squeezed at her hair as she continued, and she could hear Jamie panting her name as her chest rose and fell erratically. She moved to her abdomen, fingers of one hand teasing along the edge of Jamie’s jeans as she continued to press slow licking kisses along her side, until…
“Ah!”
Jamie jerked and Dani pulled away, contrite. “Did I hurt you?”
Dani’s worry didn’t ease when she looked to see Jamie grimacing, hand covering a specific spot on her side. “No no. It’s just...I uh…”
“Wait. Are you... ticklish?” Her grin spread at the realization.
Jamie said a panicked, “No.”
“So if I were to...just…” She leaned back over Jamie, fingers deftly moving up her side, lightly scraping her nails.
Jamie burst out into a wail of laughter, unable to control her limbs as she scrunched up under her tormentor.
Delighted, Dani continued her attack until they were both crying from laughter. She stopped, leaning her head on her hand, propped up next to Jamie’s head as they sobered, but couldn’t seem to wipe the grins off their faces.
“I’m sorry. I’ll behave, I promise.”
Jamie reached up, tracing a finger lightly across Dani’s cheek, down her jawline, across her lower lip as she stared at her mouth. “I’ve never laughed so much during…”
“Sex stuff?”
Her grin widened. “Yeah. Sex stuff.” Her hand came to rest on Dani’s neck. “You’re kind of great. I like you.”
Dani’s smile lit up the room. “I like you, too.”
And then, they were kissing again, Jamie pulling Dani more fully on top of her, as she reached down to undo the fastener on her jeans. They both worked to wriggle her free of her skinny jeans and underwear, Jamie’s quickly following.
They were on their sides now, facing each other. As Jamie took Dani’s ear lobe into her mouth, Dani pressed her hips into her, bringing her leg up around her hip, Jamie trailed her hand up her thigh. They were in a different dance now. Slow, sensuous, and undulating.
When Dani couldn’t wait another second, she began dragging her hand down Jamie’s chest. She ran the back of her fingers down and across her strong abs, until she reached the short patch of curls, turning her hand and sliding further, meeting wet heat. They both groaned at the feeling, and Jamie squeezed Dani’s ass, pulling her in as their kisses intensified, bodies rocking together.
Dani then felt Jamie’s fingers start to move, and she whimpered as they slid between their bodies. The first touch of her folds made her nerve endings come alive, and she jerked towards Jamie, begging for harder contact without a single word. They met each other’s pace, experimenting with what made each other come alive, until Dani dug her heel into Jamie’s lower back, desperate for more of...everything.
They broke their kiss, gasping, looking deeply into each other’s eyes, until it became too much and Dani had to squeeze hers shut at the building pleasure. Tiny explosions were lighting across her skin, and her forearm was burning as she tried to maintain the pace that was making Jamie whisper her name in cracked awe. It became more difficult the greater her own pleasure grew, but she needed to keep trying. To keep giving.
Suddenly, Jamie was pulling Dani’s flushed face into the crook of her neck. Body jerking and squeezing, and Dani fell right with her. It was the most intimate moment she had ever experienced. Two warm bodies wrapped around each other, hearts racing, breath erratic.
It took several minutes for their pulses to steady, but they remained entwined, each hugging the other tightly, unwilling to allow a single inch of space to separate their skin. Finally, they slowly pulled away, staring at each other in delighted awe.
Dani broke the silence first. “Can we do that again?”
“Absolutely.” Jamie said as she rolled on top of Dani for round two.
~
Dani woke the next morning and gave a luxurious stretch. She couldn’t recall the last time she slept this well, and this late. The sun peaked through the blinds of not her apartment. That’s right, not her apartment because she went home with a woman last night. She clasped her hands tightly over her mouth. She met someone. Someone great. And, oh no. That someone isn’t here.
She sat up, pulling the sheets up to cover her chest. Where was Jamie? Dani told herself not to panic. She’s probably just in the bathroom. Coming back soon. Definitely just outside and not patiently waiting for the strange woman to finally leave her bedroom for an awkward Thanks for that! Anyway, could you please leave now? conversation. That would not be ideal.
Only moderately panicking, Dani got up and tried to locate her clothes. She found them folded neatly on a dresser, with the broken off buttons sitting on top of the pile. She smiled a bit while running her finger down the blouse. Jamie looked for every lost button and returned them to her. This is probably a good sign and not a please get out sign. However, there were more broken buttons than she remembered and this wasn’t exactly wearable. She looked around and found Jamie’s discarded tank top, smelling Jamie’s cologne on it quickly before pulling it over her head. Maybe she had a sewing kit. Maybe she could return the tank top later? Hopefully the latter.
She pulled on the rest of her clothes and went into the connected bathroom, happy to see there was a brand new toothbrush sitting on the counter for her. This should be another good sign, she thinks. And definitely doesn’t mean Jamie brings women back to her apartment so much that she keeps a pile of toothbrushes here just in case. Mustn’t think on that. She got ready and ran her fingers through her hair before going to the bedroom door, squeezing her fists and taking a deep breath for courage before she opened the door.
And what she saw made her heart squeeze. Jamie, in her flannel from last night and a pair of mismatched socks, burning toast, and quietly saying, “Fucking fuck.”
Emboldened by the scene, Dani spoke up. “Good morning.”
Jamie jumped, dropping the now burnt toast onto the counter and spinning toward her with a look of surprise that quickly melded into a huge grin. “Hi!”
“Hi.”
“I uh…” She gestured to the counter, which held the toast, a banana, and a cup of a hot beverage. “I wasn’t expectin’ company, but I do have tea. And I hope you like a good layer of carbon on your bread?”
Dani laughed at that. “I simply adore it, thank you. This is very sweet.”
Jamie rocked back on her heels, tongue in her cheek, then brought a tray with the meager breakfast over to the island and Dani. Setting it down, she looked up at her guest, smirk growing on her face.
“You look great this morning. I mean you did last night too, but also now.”
Dani was starting to worry her cheeks might permanently hurt from grinning this much. “You do too. Sorry, I borrowed your tank top. I could drop it off to you sometime? After washing it of course.”
Jamie waved her away as Dani took her first sip of tea. “Keep it. Looks better on you, honestly.”
Dani set her cup down. “Not sure that’s possible.”
They grinned at each other like idiots when Dani finally glanced at the clock. “Oh my god, is it ten?”
Jamie turned to confirm it, “Is that bad?”
She looked back to see Dani rubbing her eyes with her hands. “I’m just supposed to meet someone for a job interview in 30 minutes, no big deal.”
“Oh! Oh. Ok, hang on.” She dashed into her room and came back out minutes later with three button-up shirts on hangers. “Would any of these work?”
Dani melted at the thoughtfulness and said softly. “This one. That’s perfect, thank you.” She selected a wine-colored blouse and quickly stripped off her lavender one, replacing it where she stood. “Better?”
Jamie’s eyes tracked down and up as she nodded, a bit in a daze. “Yeah. Yes. Beautiful.”
Dani hesitated a second before stepping forward to give Jamie one last kiss. A short one, she thought. But they both lingered, lips parting, tongues touching. Both clearly wanting more. Dani pulled away and cleared her throat. “Right. That job.”
“The job.”
They both walked to the door, fingers tangling across the short distance, until Jamie had to release her to unlock the deadbolt.
“This is gonna sound weird, but I had such a good time with you.”
Dani turned, already having stepped into the hallway. “Can I give you my number?”
Jamie ran back to the kitchen where her phone and dozens of missed notifications blinked at her. She got back as quick as she could, unlocking it to hand it to Dani, who grinned at her eagerness. After she put in her number, she handed it back to Jamie.
“I could text you later and say this, but, can I see you again?”
Dani leaned against the doorjamb, delighted. “I’d love that.” Picking at her thumb, she continued. “Is tonight too soon?”
“Tonight?” Jamie took a small step forward, closing the distance between them.
“Yeah. Tonight.” Dani’s eyes were on Jamie’s lips.
“I’d like that.” Jamie leaned forward, capturing her lips for a few more seconds, because she simply couldn’t resist.
Dani nodded. “Tonight then. A propa date.”
“I’d say yes even if you did that atrocious accent again.”
Dani reached to squeeze her hand and walked away, their fingers separating when their arms couldn’t stretch any further.
Dani turned back at the stairwell one more time. Tonight.