Page 75 of Hot Tea & Bird Calls

Celene – 6:56 pm

It might. Don’t look away.

And before Celene had to ask, an incoming image loaded in the app. Celene held her breath and exhaled out of pure obligation. She swiveled over her sheets, barely noticing the pillow she hugged as she gazed at a close-up similar to hers. Upon the loft bed, Skye’s chin demurely leaned into her hand, a closed-mouth smile on her lips that teased, and Celene swore it was purposeful. Spoiled again, Celene feasted on the visual of her uncovered arms in a camisole. And this time, her top gaped enough to show cleavage. Like a girlfriend who’d woken from a long, satisfying dream, toasty and maybe a little turned on.

Celene – 6:59 pm

Saving this immediately.

Skye – 7:02 pm

What for?

Celene cushioned her cheek to the pillow, entranced. Skye baited her with these questions; the lady lived to hold her interest. Just her type.

Celene – 7:04 pm

To always remember you this way.

Soon, her phone brightened with a call. Breathless and not knowing why she fixed her hair again, Celene answered, “Want more photos?”

Skye spoke with nothing but softness. “Celene, do you have plans tonight with Elise?”

“You should assume that’s a no.” She crisscrossed her legs and watched two does feed outside her room’s sliding doors, their stilt-like limbs gracefully navigating the rocks. “Why?”

“I want to take you out.”

Apprehension eclipsed the excitement she wanted to relish. “Tell me more. Who are we putting on a show for? Luce and her friends?”

“Oh. Well...” Some movement came through, followed by a definitely faked cough. “No audience. I realize this may cross some boundaries. Are private outings out of the question?”

“You want to date me.”

Skye’s laugh rang out unsure, a little dry. “I figured after you dropped by with handcrafted gifts and we kissed for twenty minutes, we reached a new level.”

“Those twenty minutes got me through the rest of the week.” Celene walked to the doors for a clearer look at the deer. The sky beyond their backyard’s wall of trees glowed in a pastel smudge of blues and orange, edible to the eyes. She couldn’t come up with a stronger desire than Skye in this lighting. “What should I bring?”

“Nothing. You’ve given me enough.” Palpable nerves chipped at Skye’s voice at the two vowel sounds, much too adorable to bring up. “I’ll pick you up. It’s fairly warm today, but the weather forecast says it’ll be windy after sundown. When can you be ready?”

Celene already unzipped two of the packing cubes in her suitcase, stroking the back of her hand on clothes she’d chosen with more intention. She welcomed this switch, to be the one not calling the shots. “Can I kiss you when I see you?”

“Dragonfruit?”

Her fingers stilled. “Dragonfruit.”

“I can’t think of anything but kissing you. It’s almost a burden.”

God. Celene peeled her shirt off and, for a sec, considered sending a selfie like that. That’d be pushing it, unfortunately. “I’ll be ready for you in half an hour.”

“Nice. Dress comfortably.”

The Florentines hadn’t raisedSkye to be rude. Her brother Cosmo would be on her ass about not walking to the Vale house door to properly retrieve a date, no matter the orientation or genders involved. However, she heeded Celene’s advice—she’d instructed Skye to stay outside or else “Elise and her husband will derail our night.”

Our. Ownership by the two of them.

Warmer at no fault of the temperature, Skye found a good middle ground. She wouldn’t ring the camera doorbell. Instead, she’d stand outside the SUV and wave if she caught any family peeking through the drawn curtains.

Gratefully, Celene surfaced from the house on her own, locking the door behind her. That gratefulness took a turn, though, as her throat dried at her sort-of-pretend girlfriend in tailored shorts and the most revealing top she’d seen on her—snug and summer-forward. It wasn’t scandalous at any stretch, just a lot for Celene. Both relieving and a disappointment, Celene drew her arms into a lightweight cardigan.