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Jo stood frozen, her mind racing. She should say something. Stop her. Ask for her phone number at least, but the words wouldn’t come. For once, the normally smooth-talking mechanic was speechless, watching as something precious slipped through her fingers.

“I’m sorry.” Evelyn reached for the door. The apology felt final as the woman slipped outside.

“Evelyn...” Jo started, but the door was already closing. Through her front window, she watched as Evelyn hurried to the waiting Uber. She didn’t look back as she got in, and seconds later, the car pulled away. Wrapped in confusion, Jo made her way to the bathroom where Evelyn had hidden. She moved to the counter and looked in the mirror. Searching her face, she couldn’t see any noticeable change, but inside, she knew she was.I should have stopped her.I should have said something, anything, to make her stay, she thought, then groaned.I should have at least gotten her number.

But she hadn’t. For the first time in her life, Jo Fuller had been too afraid of rejection to act. The irony wasn’t lost on her. So many times had she been the one leaving, offering casual goodbyes and vague promises to call. Tonight she knew how it felt to be on the other side. Pushing off the counter, Jo walked back to the fireplace and stared into the flames. A cold emptiness she didn’t recognize replaced the warmth that filled her earlier when she decided to take things slow with Evelyn. “What just happened?” she asked the empty room, but the only answer was the soft crackle of embers and the fading notes of music.

The Uber pulled away from the curb, leaving Evelyn standing alone in front of her apartment building. The night air felt heavy around her, or maybe it was simply the weight of what she had done settling onto her shoulders. Her hands trembled as shefumbled with her keys to open the building’s front door, and she still felt the ghost of Jo’s touch on her skin.Jo. The thought of her name alone made Evelyn’s chest tighten.What have I done?The confused look on Jo’s face as Evelyn fled played over and over in her mind like a torturous film reel. Taking a deep breath, Evelyn pushed through the door and turned toward the stairs. Sometimes, when she was tired, going three flights felt daunting, but tonight she hoped the physical exertion would help clear her head.Or at least tire me out enough that I won’t lie awake all night thinking about what I just threw away.

As she climbed, each step seemed to bring forth a new memory of the evening. First floor was the way Jo had looked at her across the crowded bar atSapphire, that confident smile that had made Evelyn’s heart skip a beat. Second floor was the exhilarating feeling of being pressed against Jo on the motorcycle, the wind whipping past them as they rode through the city. Third floor was their kisses on the couch, each one more intoxicating than the last. “Stop it,” Evelyn muttered to herself, her voice echoing slightly in the empty stairwell. “It’s better this way.”

But is it? she wondered, finally at her floor. The question nagged at her. Everything had been perfect until she had let her fears take over. Jo had been so gentle, so patient. The way she held Evelyn, the soft looks she gave her, and the careful way she checked to make sure Evelyn was comfortable. Reaching her hallway, Evelyn paused with her hand resting on the wall. She still felt the phantom pressure of Jo’s lips against hers, still smelled the lingering scent of leather and something uniquely Jo. The memory of how safe she had felt in the woman’s strong arms contrasted sharply with the panic that had overwhelmed her in the bathroom. “She probably thinks I’m some sort of weirdo now,” Evelyn whispered, closing her eyes against thewave of embarrassment that washed over her. “I ran away without any real explanation.” The image was mortifying.

Shaking her head to hopefully clear her thoughts, Evelyn’s hands shook as she inserted her key into her apartment door. Inside, her usually comforting space, her refuge, felt emptier and less welcoming. Dropping her bag on the couch, she considered having wine to help numb her nerves, but somehow that felt cowardly. A part of her wanted to keep feeling the emotions, even the ones that hurt.

As she fled to her bedroom, her eyes fell on the romance novel on her nightstand, the spine well-worn from countless readings.How many times have I lost myself in stories of passion and courage, of people taking chances on love?she wondered.Yet when faced with the real thing, I ran away. “It’s different in real life,” she told herself. “Real life is messy and complicated and... and...”And exactly what I always dreamed of. Evelyn groaned, sinking onto the end of her bed. “It was only supposed to be a fun birthday night,” she murmured, as if saying the words might make them true. “That’s all. I wasn’t supposed to meet a tall, sexy butch who carried me away on her motorcycle like some knight in shining armor.”

Evelyn stood and walked to her window, looking at the city lights. Somewhere out there, Jo was probably still in her house, probably confused and hurt by Evelyn’s sudden departure.Or maybe she isn’t hurt at all,she thought. Maybe this is only another Friday night for her, another almost-connection that didn’t pan out. The thought shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did, but Evelyn’s heart ached a little at the idea she was nothing more than a conquest. A car horn honked somewhere in the distance, jolting Evelyn from her thoughts. She realized she had been standing at the window for some time, lost in thoughts of what might have been, instead of facing reality. She didn’t have Jo’s last name or phone number, and she certainly wouldn’tdare step foot inSapphireagain. “Since I won’t see her again anyway,” she said. “It doesn’t really matter.” The mantra felt hollow even as she said it.

With a heavy sigh, she turned from the window and began her nightly routine, trying to find comfort in the familiar motions. Yet, as she got ready for bed, everything seemed off. Her perfectly organized bedroom felt too structured after the comfort of Jo’s home. As she brushed her teeth, she couldn’t meet her own eyes in the mirror for fear she would see them accusing her of being too scared to live a real life. Even her beloved romance novel seemed to mock her with its promises of passion and happy endings.

As sleep finally claimed her, Evelyn’s last conscious thought was of Jo’s smile. Not the confident one she wore at the bar, but the soft, genuine one she showed while they had talked by the fireplace. The one that made Evelyn feel like maybe she could be brave enough to do something different.But I wasn’t brave, she thought.I ranaway instead, maybe leaving behind the possibility of something real. Tomorrow, she would go back to her everyday life. Back to her research, her books, and her carefully planned routine. Yet, as she fell asleep, she knew something had shifted. That no matter how hard she tried, things wouldn’t feel quite the same anymore, because now she knew what she was missing.

The beer grew warm in Jo’s hand as she sat motionless on her couch, staring at the last dying embers in the fireplace. “Well, that was different,” Jo muttered to the empty room, taking another sip of her beer. The taste had gone flat, much like the evening itself. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had left her house in such a hurry. Usually, she was the one making excuses, finding reasons to usher women out before things gottoo complicated. She sighed. Evelyn hadn’t even given her the chance.

Jo replayed the evening in her mind. The way Evelyn had melted into their kisses, how perfectly their bodies had fit together, the soft sounds the woman had made. Everything had been going according to plan, following the familiar script that Jo had perfected over years of casual encounters.Except it didn’t feel like just another conquest, she thought, frustrated that her mind kept circling back to that thought.It doesn’t make sense.

Even before Evelyn fled to the bathroom, Jo had fought the urge to slow things down and savor each moment. “What the hell is wrong with me?” Jo asked the empty room, running a hand through her hair. Mica’s words from earlier that evening echoed in her mind. “Don’t you ever think about settling down? Finding someone special?” At the time, Jo had brushed off the suggestion with her usual bravado, but now, sitting alone in her quiet house, the question hit differently.

Setting her beer on the coffee table, Jo leaned into the couch cushions. Her eyes drifted to the motorcycle posters on her walls, the ones that had caught Evelyn’s attention earlier. She remembered how Evelyn had noticed the contrast between those and the photographs, how she had seemed genuinely interested in understanding the different facets of Jo’s personality. “I’ve got layers,” Jo had told her. Now she wondered if maybe she had been hiding behind those layers for too long.

The truth was that none of her previous encounters had left her feeling so hollow, regretful, and wanting more. Usually after a woman left, Jo felt relieved, ready to move on to the next adventure, but thinking about Evelyn walking out that door made her chest ache in an unfamiliar way.I should have stopped her, Jo thought for the tenth time. She closed her eyes.But what would I have said? Sorry I came on too strong? Sorry I couldn’t control myself long enough to show you I wanted more thananother one-night stand?It sounded pathetic in her head.And I doubt that, after this mess, Evelyn will return toSapphireanytime soon.

Jo pictured her curled up in her apartment, probably mortified by what had happened.Will she tell her sister?she wondered.Her friends? Will they laugh about it over brunch, just another story about that butch at the bar who couldn’t take a hint?That thought made Jo wince. “I could have been different with her,” Jo admitted to the darkness. She could have taken Evelyn on real dates, learned about her research, shared her own passions beyond the superficial charm she usually relied on. She could have shown Evelyn the woman behind the muscles, leather jacket, and sexy smile. The one who baked cookies at midnight when she couldn’t sleep, who kept a collection of classic literature with her motorcycle repair manuals. But she hadn’t. Instead, she had fallen back on old habits, letting physical attraction override the deeper connection that had been building between them.And now Evelyn is gone, probably never to return.

Jo’s eyes drifted to her phone, sitting silently on the coffee table. She could call Mica, tell her she had been right all along, that maybe it was time to consider something more serious.No way,she thought.Not even Mica would understand how I’m feeling tonight.Plus, she had no desire to admit it all out loud when everything felt raw and vulnerable. Instead, she found herself walking to her kitchen and pulling out flour and sugar from the cupboards. Baking had always been her escape, her way of processing emotions she couldn’t quite face. As she measured ingredients with practiced precision, she thought about how Evelyn might have reacted to this side of her. The domestic, nurturing side that so few people got to see. “She probably would have loved my chocolate chip cookies,” Jo murmured, then caught herself. “What am I doing? One evening with thiswoman and I’m already planning baking dates?” But even as she mocked herself, Jo knew something had shifted. The carefully constructed walls she built around her heart had developed a crack, and Evelyn had somehow slipped through before Jo even realized what was happening.

Six

The blaring alarm cut through Evelyn’s restless sleep, dragging her into consciousness. She groaned, rolling over to squint at the red numbers flashing on her clock. Seven A.M. For a moment, she lay there, staring at the ceiling, her body heavy with exhaustion. She had barely slept, her mind replaying the night before in an endless loop. Jo’s sexy smile, how her hands felt on Evelyn’s waist, the warmth of her breath against Evelyn’s skin. And then, of course, the way Evelyn had run. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the memories away.It doesn’t matter, she thought.It’s over.

With a sigh, she forced herself to sit, rubbing her hands over her face. She had a plan. A distraction. Work. It was Saturday, but that didn’t matter. She was already behind on a project at the research facility, and if she was going to spend the day overanalyzing everything anyway, she might as well be productive while doing it. As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She grabbed it without thinking, feeling a ridiculous flicker of hope that it might be Jo.But that would be impossible,she thought.We didn’t exchange phone numbers, not that I’d dare text her after what I did.She looked at the screen and saw it was one of her bestfriends, Brooke. Evelyn sighed and answered, putting the phone on speaker as she padded toward the bathroom.

“Morning, birthday girl,” Brooke’s voice rang through the room, far too cheerful for this hour. “Pretty sure I saw you do a tequila shot last night at the bar. How’s your head? And more importantly, how is your new friend?”

Evelyn groaned, turning on the sink and splashing cold water over her face. “It’s too early for this.”

“Oh, so something happened,” Brooke teased. “Come on, spill. Don’t tell me you didn’t leave with your tall, dark, handsome stranger. Clearly, she was into you.” She laughed. “And you better not tell me you only went for a friendly midnight stroll.”

Evelyn pressed a towel to her face. She still felt the ghost of Jo’s fingertips brushing against her skin, the way her voice had softened when she asked, “Are you okay?” Evelyn swallowed hard. “Yes,” she answered. “I left with her. With Jo.”

“Ohhh,” Brooke said, drawing out the word. “I’m shocked but so happy for you. I want more details.”

With a sigh, Evelyn leaned against the counter. “We went for a ride on her motorcycle,” she said. “To her house.”

There was a long pause on the phone, and Evelyn checked the screen to see if Brooke was still there. “Oh my God,” Brooke finally said. “Now that is some birthday present. Is this new friend, Jo, a good kisser?”

Closing her eyes, Evelyn thought of Jo’s lips, so full and warm, on hers and felt a twist of regret in her stomach. “I left her place before anything happened,” she blurted. “In an Uber. Pretty much without saying goodbye.”