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But, when her hands met the cold metal buried deep in her bag, she knew she had to go in.

Opening the door, she stepped inside and looked at the empty unit. Even with the additional decor, it somehow felt like the setting sun was a spotlight on how little life was in the place. She set her bag down and flipped on the kitchen light, the sterile, fluorescent overhead lights blaring. She rarely ever used them and now she remembered why.

Ari tossed open her fridge and found a few day-old fries to snack on. She pulled open her phone and refreshed the tracking on a package.

Reloaded, the page read:

Expected Delivery: Friday, 10am.

Just under the wire, Ari thought. She still wondered why she’d even sent the package, after all, she never wanted to make Cass feel pressured. But after the time they’d spent together, it felt only right to give Ari a parting gift.

22

CASS

She had bookedthe day off about a month ago. And although she had considered booking a client just to distract herself from the day shewasn’thaving, Cass had decided it made the most sense to take the day to reset a little bit.

She smeared some avocado spread on a piece of toast, sprinkling some salt, pepper, goat cheese, and red pepper flakes on top. It was a nice breakfast that she barely ever made for herself.

Gabby had gone out to work and Cass had the place to herself.

Just as she was sitting down in front of the TV to watch some Lust Isle with her toast and a coffee, the door buzzer rang.

Who the fuck?

Checking her mental list, she couldn’t recall ordering anything. But, maybe Gabby had and she had forgotten to mention it.

She walked to the intercom and said, “You can leave it there, thank you.”

Cass tossed on her outside Crocs and ran downstairs, not bothering to lock the door behind her. The box waiting outside of the building was a short, large rectangle; definitely not your average Amazon package.

She inspected it for a label as she headed up the stairs, nearly tripping up the steps as she read: Cassandra Owens.

By the time she was back inside, slamming the door behind her, she could barely wait to open the box. Her fingernails, though longer than most sapphics, weren’t long enough to slice the box open.

Instead, she grabbed the kitchen scissors and sliced open the tape along the edges.

Inside, was a white box that was perfectly nestled in the brown shipping package.

She tried to slide the white box out but it was really stuck in there. Cass flipped the box upside down allowing the second box to free itself.

Thank god for gravity.

Normally one to break down her cardboard immediately, Cass tossed the box to the side and sliced the small piece of plastic sealing the white box before flipping over.

As she lifted the lid, a note lay on top of some tissue paper:

Cassie, it felt like a waste to return this. I hope you can put it to good use, consider it a parting gift. - Ari

Cass’s breath caught in her throat, they had ordered the dress together a month ago. Ari had insisted on paying for it even though it would be the most expensive item in Cass’s wardrobe.

“It’s a fancy event, I couldn’t ask you to splurge out for one event,” Ari said.

Cass had offered to leave the tag on and return it after. But, Ari had held her hands and said, “It’s the least I can do. You’ve done a lot for me and I’m really appreciative.”

Cass’s heart ached at the thought of their time together. Even now, she could still feel how Ari’s hands felt in hers. Cass knew she needed to learn to trust again before she could ever be a good partner, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Ari had been made for her.

She looked at the clock. The Gala would start at seven, just as the sun was setting. She knew the view from the top of the Whitney would be immaculate, especially with Ari by her side.