Page 31

Zara had only caught half of the movie, but she’d liked it. She tried to get here on time, but traffic had screwed her. So she couldn’t see Tess beforehand, which, in a way, was a blessing. She was nervous to talk to her. Only now, she wasn’t sure where she would be. Was she in the audience? In the booth? In her office? The bar? She might be anywhere.

She needed to have this talk though. That was why she was here. She had decided. It was a total no-go, whatever way you looked at it. It would just create problems. It couldn’t do anything else.

As the credits rolled, Zara got up to find Tess. But she had to wait for a guy in a brimmed hat to go first. Then he was followed by a lot more people in hats, exactly the crowd she’d predicted for this showing.

By the time they’d all filed out, Zara was the last one left. She slid out of the seat and walked up the aisle. She watched the last person leave and the door shut. As she went to open it, there was movement to her right.

‘Hello,’ Tess said, appearing next to her.

‘Jesus!’ Zara exclaimed, clutching her heart.

‘Shit, sorry,’ Tess said

‘I thought everyone had gone,’ Zara said, trying to catch her breath.

‘I guess I was a bit tucked away,’ Tess said.

Zara looked at Tess and her pulse wouldn’t slow. But not for the shock anymore, that had passed. It was just seeing Tess.

But it didn’t matter what Zara’s body said. Her head had made this call. She had rehearsed this conversation in her head, convinced it was the right thing to do. But the words evaporated the second she met Tess’s eyes—those dark, thoughtful eyes that always seemed to see right through her.

Tess looked nervous, too, shifting slightly, one hand gripping the edge of the door as if she might need to bolt. But instead, she smiled in the low light, a tentative smile that only made things harder for Zara.

It was a no-go, right?

‘So… good film?’ Tess asked, her voice a little too casual.

‘Yeah, what I caught of it,’ Zara admitted. ‘Traffic was a nightmare. Missed most of the clock-dangling.’

Tess’s laugh was soft but genuine, and for a second, they both relaxed as if nothing had shifted between them. But then the silence came back, thick and heavy.

Zara felt the air prickle with the weight of the moment. This was her chance. She should say it. Cut through the tension and just end whatever this was.

‘Umm, we need to…’ Zara began, her voice quieter this time, feeling the awkward weight of all the unsaid things between them.

Tess raised her eyebrows. ‘We need to what?’

Here it was—the moment to be responsible, to be smart. She opened her mouth to speak.

‘I—' Zara started, but then Tess’s hand brushed against hers, that small contact lighting up her skin like a live wire.

It wasn’t the time for this. It wasn’t. And again, it was the only thing that could happen.

Zara leaned in, her hand sliding to the back of Tess’s neck, pulling her in. Their lips met. Zara pressed closer, her heart pounding in her ears as their lips moved together, desperate, hungry, like they were both starving for this.

Tess let out a soft gasp as Zara’s lips moved to her neck, and Zara felt a thrill shoot through her. God, this was wrong.

They barely noticed the door swinging open again as people began filtering in for the next showing. It should have put a halt to everything, but Zara was in too deep. She tugged Tess toward the back row, and they slipped into the shadows.

The next movie started, the flicker of the screen casting fleeting shadows over Tess’s face as Zara kissed her again, more insistent this time. Tess’s hands slid up under her jacket, pulling her closer, and Zara’s mind spun.

‘Is anyone coming back here?’ Tess asked quietly, directly into Zara’s mouth.

She glanced around. No one.

The flicker of the film played on, unnoticed by the two of them as they kissed in the dark, hidden from the world. Nothing else mattered but the feel of Tess’s mouth against Zara’s.

They were technically in public, if quite hidden in the darkness of the back row.

Zara could barely breathe, but she didn’t care. She wanted more. Tess’s lips trailed down her jawline, and Zara’s pulse spiked again. God, this was reckless. This was—

Someone laughed from the front row, pulling Zara back into reality, reminding her that they weren’t alone. Trailers were starting up, and people were starting to file into the back row now, totally oblivious to the two of them hidden in the corner.

Both of them pulled back with regret and sat back in their seats.

Tess’s hand found hers, squeezing it tight, and Zara’s heart ached. She didn’t want this to end.