The buzz of Avery's phone cut through the quiet, pulling them both back from the edge they'd been teetering on. She sighed, lifting her head from Kara's shoulder, fingers brushing along her arm before she sat up. Luke's name lit the screen: Where are you?
Reality settled heavy.
Avery smoothed Kara's hair gently, her voice hushed. "I should go. Tomorrow's a work day for me… and you've got class."
Kara blinked herself awake, her lips curving into a sleepy smile that didn't quite mask the disappointment. She nodded, though her chest ached. "Yeah. You're right."
Avery slipped back into her jacket, pulling on her shoes with slow hands, as if every movement delayed the inevitable. Kara watched silently from the sofa, chin propped on her palm, eyes following Avery like she could memorize her.
The room felt reluctant, unwilling to let them separate after what had just sparked there.
At the door, Kara stood close, close enough for their breaths to mingle. She leaned forward, brushed the softest peck against Avery's cheek, and whispered, "Text me when you get home, okay? Be safe."
Avery froze, warmth blooming under her skin. She forced herself to smile, lifting a hand in a small wave. "I will."
The night air outside wrapped cool around her, a sharp contrast to the heat she'd just left behind. Avery swung her leg over the Vespa, started the engine, and rode off slowly, unwilling to let the moment end too quickly. Her heart still beat with Kara's touch. That kiss replayed again and again—so real, so honest, so unexpected—that she almost laughed out loud.
By the time she pulled up at her house, she was still smiling like she'd been struck by lightning. Luke opened the door, brow raised in question at her dazed expression, but Avery brushed past him wordlessly. She locked her bedroom door, collapsed onto her bed, and let herself fall into the memory.
Her phone buzzed.
It was Kara as her alter ego, Summer text her on dating app.
"Thank you for letting me into your life, and for keeping me safe. I guess it's your time to get into mine. Here's my phone & WhatsApp number."
Avery's breath caught. She stared at the message, stunned, before her lips curled into a grin so wide it hurt. Without thinking, she saved the number, thumb hovering before she typed.
"Hey, young lady. I'm home and safe. Take a rest. Thank you for letting me into your life. Good night."
She hit send, then lay back against the pillow, phone clutched to her chest. Her heart refused to calm down.
Tonight had been impossible. And yet, it happened.
***
The shrill buzz of her alarm rang right beside her ear. Avery groaned, dragging a pillow over her head, but the glowing red numbers burned through her half-closed eyes. 07:00 AM.
She needed to get up.
Her body felt heavy, weighted by the remnants of last night's drinks. A dull ache pressed against her temples, hangover. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, and the room tilted just enough to remind her she'd had one glass too many.
Across from her bed, the mirror reflected a version of herself she wasn't expecting. Avery froze.
She was still in yesterday's clothes... the same jacket thrown over her shoulders, the same black jeans. Her hair was a mess, mascara smudged faintly under her eyes, but it wasn't just the disarray that stunned her. It was the way she looked like someone who had just lived through something electric.
Her chest tightened. For a second, it felt like she was being pulled right back into Kara's guest house, the warmth of the sofa, the scent of Kara's shampoo, the soft peck that still lingered on her cheek, and above them all is their passionate kissed.
Avery stumbled for her phone, heart racing. She needed proof. Something, anything, to make sure she hadn't just dreamed it all.
WhatsApp opened with a familiar green glow. And there it was. A new message.
"Glad to hear that, how's your hangover handle you?"
Her lips parted, breath caught. Relief washed through her like a tide breaking the shore. It wasn't a dream. Kara had really texted her. Kara remembered.
A laugh bubbled in her throat, unstoppable. Avery clutched the phone to her chest, eyes closing as a smile stretched wide across her face.
For a long minute, she just sat there, soaking it in.
Then, reluctantly, she set the phone aside. She'd reply later, after a shower, after she gathered herself. Right now, work was calling. And for once, even with the hangover gnawing at her skull, she felt unstoppable.
Like she was carrying a secret sunrise inside her.
***
Kara stirred, eyes fluttering open to the pale morning light bleeding through the curtains. For a moment she didn't move, her body still heavy with sleep, the quiet hum of yesterday lingering in the room.
Then she realized... she wasn't in her bed. She was still on the sofa, curled up where she had collapsed after walking Avery to the door.
Her phone was wedged between the cushions. Kara fished it out, blinking at the screen as it lit up with a flood of notifications, missed calls, unread messages. Carmen. Alec. Alva. Even her mom and dad. All of them asking the same thing: Where are you? Are you okay?
Her thumb hovered only a second before she typed back a simple reply:"I'm okay, just woke up. Getting ready for class soon."
It wasn't the full truth, but it would do.
She scrolled further, and her breath caught. Avery's name. Avery's text.
Her lips curved into a soft smile as she read it, the warmth seeping through her chest like sunlight spilling through a window. Without hesitation, she typed back:"Glad to hear that, how's your hangover handle you?"
She set the phone down again, but her mind refused to rest. Kara lay back against the sofa, eyes tracing the ceiling, trying to piece together the impossible reality of last night.
"How…?" she whispered to herself.
How had she kissed Avery like that? How had she let herself fall into something so raw, so consuming, without even thinking twice?
Her gaze shifted to the empty cushion beside her. That was where Avery had sleep, where her arms had wrapped around Kara, strong and safe. Kara reached out, fingertips brushing the fabric, and almost laughed at herself. She could still feel it, the hug, the warmth, the way her heart had finally stopped racing long enough for her to fall asleep.
For the first time in forever, she had slept peacefully. And it had been inside Avery's arms.
The shrill ring of her alarm cut through her thoughts. Kara jumped slightly, glancing at the clock glowing 06:30 AM.
She sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. It was time to get up, to face the ordinary world of lectures and crowded hallways.
But inside her, everything felt extraordinary.