Page 27

Zara was standing next to the door, holding the handle, Tess’s hand on top of hers. They were looking at each other. Zara thought that if Tess moved her hand, she’d say ‘Whoops’ and leave. She was definitely going to do that as soon as the opportunity arrived.

Then Tess moved her hand. And Zara took hold of it.

For a second, they were both frozen, the air between them electric. The room seemed to hold its breath, charged with the kind of tension that was impossible to ignore. Zara knew she should walk away before she made things more complicated. But the pull was too strong. It had been building for who knew how long, and Zara was finding it harder and harder to remember why she shouldn’t do this.

Zara tried to get her logic to take control, but it wouldn’t seem to switch on. Her body had taken full control. She pulled Tess by the hand towards her, looking for a sign that this was unwanted. But the expression in Tess’s eyes was unmistakable.

Zara leaned in, her lips inches from Tess’s, and for a split second, she hesitated.

‘I’m going to kiss you,’ she said quietly.

‘And I’m going to kiss you back,’ Tess said back.

Zara could still walk away, pretend this moment hadn’t happened. But being this close to Tess’s big dark eyes, she was helpless.

Zara kissed Tess.

It wasn’t a hesitant first kiss. It was immediate passion. Tess’s lips moved against hers, not with caution, but with need, matching Zara’s urgency. She didn’t care about what was right or wrong, about what it could mean for them—she couldn’t stop now, and she didn’t want to.

The kiss deepened, and all of Zara’s carefully constructed walls crumbled.

Some moments later, Tess finally pulled away. ‘Damn,’ she whispered, her eyes wide and scared. ‘Now I’m really screwed.’

Zara was in full agreement. This was messy, unprofessional, everything Zara hated.

But at that moment, all Zara wanted was to be close to Tess, to stay in this space where the rules didn’t apply.

They stood there, silent, the weight of what they’d done pressing down on them both. But one thing was clear: nothing between them would ever be the same.

‘What the hell is it with this door?’ a muffled voice cried from the other side of the door, and they jumped apart as Fi finally managed to push her way in.

Fi burst into the room, initially oblivious to the charged silence. But then she stopped short, her eyes flicking between Zara and Tess. She knew. You couldn’t miss the vibe—interrupted passion.

‘Oh my God, finally!’ Fi exploded.

‘Finally what?’ Tess asked, annoyed.

‘Don’t play stupid,’ Fi said. ‘Like I don’t know what’s been going on in here. I’m just amazed you’re both still dressed.’

Zara stepped back like she could erase the last few minutes if she moved far enough away. Tess shifted awkwardly, arms crossing in front of her chest like a shield.

Fi, either oblivious or intentionally ignoring their discomfort, kept going. ‘You know, I’ve been waiting for this day since Zara came to Jaws. I saw you two talking, and I was like, “Whoa! I better get a fire extinguisher ready. These two are gonna burst into flames!”

Zara felt her face burn. ‘Fi, it’s not—' She glanced at Tess, desperate for backup, but Tess looked like she wanted to sink into the floor. ‘There’s nothing to talk about.’

Zara clenched her jaw, willing Fi to stop, but the more awkward it got, the more Fi went on. ‘Seriously, Zara, Tess, where’s this going? Are you dating now? Is this, like, a thing?’

Tess finally spoke, her voice strained. ‘Fi, it’s… not a big deal.’

‘Oh, come on,’ Fi teased. ‘You don’t just snog anyone. When you get interested in someone, it’s always a major plot point.’

Zara could barely breathe. They hadn’t even processed it themselves, and here was Fi, dragging them into a full-blown interrogation about the future.

‘We don’t even know—' Zara started, but Fi cut her off with a knowing smirk.

‘I get it. Keeping it label free.’ She waggled her eyebrows like she was privy to some great secret. ‘So… when’s the next date?’

‘There wasn’t a first one.’ Tess touched the back of her neck, clearly flustered. ‘It was just a business meeting that got… slightly derailed.’

‘Man, you two are hilarious,’ Fi said. ‘Zara, you’re so her type. She loves people who push her buttons. And you pushed them from the out.’

‘Will you shut up!’ Tess yelled, annoyed.

‘I’ve just realised, I interrupted!’ Fi said with horror. ‘I can leave, stand against the door, make sure no one comes in.’

‘I’m gonna kill you,’ Tess told her sister from between gritted teeth.

Zara shifted her weight, trying to hide how uncomfortable she was, but Fi kept going, relentless. ‘So, what, are you two going to keep this quiet? Or are you telling everyone?’

Zara felt like her brain was short-circuiting.

Tess was staring at the floor, clearly wanting this to end just as badly. ‘Fi, please,’ she begged.

‘Oh, alright, alright,’ Fi said, finally picking up on just how much she was pushing. ‘I’ll go.’ Fi’s grin lingered as she stepped back to leave, giving Zara and Tess a knowing look. ‘Leave you to figure it out. Or whatever.’

She was almost out the door, but then she had a thought. ‘Oh, you know what? I just met this guy, and we could double date now—’ Fi said.

Tess finally snapped and shoved her out of the room, slamming the door in her face.

‘Jesus!’ Fi said from behind the closed door. ‘I was happy for you.’ They heard her flounce off.

‘Well,’ Zara muttered, ‘that was fun. A bit like being at school again. A quick snog and then your friends run in to talk about it.’

Tess groaned, hiding her face. ‘I want to die.’

Zara chuckled, despite herself. ‘Same.’ Her laughter faded. ‘I don’t know what to do now.’

‘Me neither,’ Tess said.

‘I’m not supposed to do things like this. It’s a massive conflict of interest,’ Zara said seriously.

Tess’s mouth pushed up in one corner. ‘But you did.’

Zara nodded, unable to stop her smile matching Tess’s. ‘Yeah.’

‘Then you like me enough to be a bit naughty?’ Tess asked.

Zara found herself giggling in a high-pitched way that disturbed the hell out of her.

‘So you’ve got a choice to make,’ Tess said.

‘And that is?’ Zara asked shyly.

‘We can walk and forget it happened—’

‘If Fi allows,’ Zara noted.

‘Or we can… not forget,’ Tess said with a dangerous smile.

‘I need to think,’ Zara said, panicked. This was getting away from her. Control was her life. And Tess was tugging on it. It made Zara feel mad.

Tess nodded. ‘OK. Go. Think. I’m in no rush.’

Zara nodded and then stuck her hand out to shake Tess’s hand as though this had been a normal meet and greet.

‘What are you doing?’ Tess said, looking at the hand.

‘No idea,’ Zara said, putting her hand down. And then she ran out.