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“Hey,” Taylor whispered.

“Hey?” It was more of a question. A what are you doing in here an hour

after everyone is in bed kind of a question.

Taylor shuffled across the room, avoiding a bunch of the floorboards

that she knew would go off like an old guard dog. When she reached the

edge of the bed, she paused. “I have something I want to show you.”

“Okay, uh— do you want to turn on the light?”

“Not here.” Taylor put her hand over her mouth to keep in a giggle. “I

meant outside.”

“Outside?”

“It’s still nice out. I had my window open. It hasn’t cooled off much at

all.”

“I can grab a sweater.”

Taylor was wearing a pair of sweats and an old hoodie. Christina had a

t-shirt on and when she pushed back the blankets and swung her legs over

the edge of the bed, a pair of black cotton shorts were revealed.

“Will I be warm enough with just a sweater or should I get dressed?”

Taylor realized she’d been staring at Christina’s gorgeous, long legs.

The light from outside illuminated Christina’s pale skin. It was reflected in

her eyes like the blue sky had been brought indoors and turned on in the

dark. “Oh. Uh— you should be warm with a sweater. I’ll bring a couple

blankets so don’t worry too much.”

“Okay. I’m trusting you on this one.”

“Just follow me. Try to hit the boards I hit.”

The whole thing felt like they were teenagers, sneaking out at night. It

gave Taylor a delicious thrill of danger. Christina grinned broadly and

nodded. Taylor went first. She grabbed up the blankets she’d set outside in

the hall by Christina’s door. Together, they tackled the stairs. Sometimes

they had to take huge steps, missing a tread altogether. It was easier for

Christina because she was so tall. When they made it to the bottom, they