Archive of Our Own

Loud whimpers and varied types of dog barks can be heard from the Capith Park, where a local campus’ org had set up their annual ‘Adapt Adopt Adapt’ event. Curious people stopped by the stalls and looked into the cages of dogs, which were furiously wagging their tails or giving out their best puppy-dog eyes, hoping to find a suitable pet.

Camila’s curly hair bounced as she was smiling and talking animatedly to a couple, obviously trying her best to seal the deal, who were eyeing to adopt a brown female Pittie named Dublin. She glanced at Ava and gave her friend a wink, who gave her an overly eager two thumbs up and a wide grin expressing her support.

“The way you’re smiling, I doubt any of these mutts will ever find their forever homes.” Lilith snarkily remarked as she approached her best friend Ava.

“Lil! You came!” Ava closed the distance to hug her, to which Lilith easily put a hand out to stop her from doing so. “Eww.. No.”

Ava just rolled her eyes at her before looking back and smiling, saw Camila handing Dublin to the couple, gently patting the dog’s head and waved the couple goodbye. Yes! Another successful adoption. Go Cam!

“Come, I want you to meet someone special.” Ava gestured for Lilith to follow her.

Lilith quickly pulled Ava to a stop and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Wait, are you dating the curly-haired one?”

“Hmm..”

“Why? You jealous?” Ava waggled her eyebrows at her.

“No. Why would I be? Especially if she’s friends with that one.” Ava follows Lilith’s gaze and saw a rather familiar girl standing beside Camila, seemingly listening intently to what the other girl was saying.

“Oooh! You got a crush on Cam’s friend!” Ava squealed with delight while clapping her hands, earning a scowl from her friend.

“Crush? Really? Are we in middle school Ava? No! Bloody hell!” Lilith rolls her eyes at Ava before giving her a death glare.

“So, let’s go then.” Ava grinned at Lilith who trudged along after her.

“Ava! Dublin got adopted!” Camila shrieked as soon as she saw Ava approach, both girls held hands while jumping up and down excitedly. Lilith stood quietly on one side, scrutinizing her well-manicured nails while discreetly giving occasional sidelong glances at the other girl fussing with some boxes behind Camila.

“Yeah! You’re so awesome!” Ava answered with the same level of energy. “That’s, like, dog number 5! And with you, I’m pretty confident we’ll get a hundred percent adoption rate today.”

“I hope more people would adopt though. They’re all just so adorable.” Camila looked down at her clipboard. “I wish I could get one, but that would be against building policy.” Ava nods in agreement before turning to tug on Lilith’s arm to pull her towards them.

“Hey Cam, I want you to meet someone, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Lilith.” Ava grins widely as she attempts to pull her closer to Camila.

“Pleasure.” Lilith said with an awkward smile and a slight nod, as she carefully eyes the smaller girl in front of her, while trying to shake her arm free from Ava’s grip.

“Hi! I’m Camila. It’s so nice to finally meet THE Lilith. I’ve heard so much about you in Ava’s stories.” Camila eagerly extends a hand, which Lilith shakes in response.

Lilith narrows her eyes suspiciously at Ava, before turning back to face Camila. “Good things I hope.”

“Yup. She talks a lot about you and has nothing but good things to say.. Well, except for that one story where you guys were at the mall and mmpff—“ Ava quickly covered Camila’s mouth and sheepishly grinned at Lilith.

“God Ava, not that one..” A wide-eyed Lilith shakes her head, cheeks dusted with a faint blush, obviously embarrassed at the intel Camila knew.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. I still think you’re cool.” Camila smiles brightly and winks at Lilith, which earns a smile from Lilith, a rare occurrence that Ava caught and secretly catalogued for later questioning.

After a pregnant pause and a lot of eye contact, Ava smirks at the two before awkwardly clears her throat. Camila suddenly scratches the back of her ear. “Anyway, I’ve seen you around campus and---“

“Camila, where do you want this box?” Beatrice asked while carrying a box full of dog treats and toys as she approached the smaller girl, not looking up. Lilith, as if on cue, does an impressive eye roll, which Beatrice apparently sees as soon as she looked up at the group. Beatrice stares Lilith down before offering the others a tight-lipped smile. “Sorry, never mind. I’ll just take this to the other side of the venue. See you later Camila.” She didn’t wait for Camila’s response before she politely excused herself.

Camila tilted her head at Beatrice’s weird behavior. “See you... Oh Bea! Please bring that box to the table up front so they can sell them, okay?” Camila called after the retreating woman, who was able to manage to raise an arm and give a quick thumbs up sign without looking back.

--

As the day drew to a close and they were starting to pack up, everyone involved had big smiles on their faces. Their event was a success, because all dogs eventually found their new families, and that made the exhaustion worth it.

Beatrice slowly approached Camila, who was making last-minute inspections and giving out instructions to the last group leaving the venue, gingerly tapped the shorter woman’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay going home alone? I could tell Jillian that I’ll be a few minutes late..” Beatrice quietly regarded the other girl who was gathering her things.

Camila smiled at Beatrice. “Yup. Don’t worry ‘bout me Bea. No need to do that. And besides, Ava said they’ll give me a ride home.”

Brows furrowed, Beatrice took a step closer and sat at the nearest chair. “I’m sorry, Ava who? I’m fairly certain you haven’t mentioned that name before.. Are you sure she’s capable of bringing you home safe?”

Camila laughed softly at her friend’s incessant worrying. “Bea.. Ava’s a good friend, from earlier. I would’ve introduced you to them but you were quite in a hurry to leave..” Camila eyed Beatrice curiously, who suddenly flinched as she was reminded of the petty eyeroll and stare down between her and the spawn of the devil incarnate.

Beatrice sighed quietly as she looked down. “Uhm about that.. I’m really sorry for how I acted. I saw Lilith and I just didn’t want to ruin the mood of the group, and mine as well..” The moment she looked up at Camila, the other girl stared back at her wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

“Lilith? THE Lilith?! The one you rant about sometimes? Well, most of the time?” Camila asked incredulously.

Beatrice winced internally the moment she realizes how much Camila knows every time she rants about her hell-spawn rival. “I don’t rant.. I’m just stating the facts.. Those are two entirely different things. But yes, she is Lilith, the ultimate bane of my existence. Anyway, send me a text when you get home? I really need to go. Wouldn’t want to keep Dr. Salvius waiting.”

“Yup. Sure thing. See you later Bea.” Camila gave Beatrice a reassuring smile and a quick hug before they parted, watched as Beatrice glanced back at her and nodded before making her way towards the nearest bus stop. She picked up her backup, albeit rather slowly, when she saw Ava and Lilith seemingly engaged in a serious discussion and wasn’t keen on intruding on them.

Camila found Lilith scarily attractive and intense, which is the exact opposite of her best friend Ava, who is the perfect embodiment of a human golden retriever. She waited for the two girls to finish their talk and kept herself busy until she heard footsteps draw nearer and looked up.

--

“Aww.. Come on Lil..” Ava pouts and tries giving Lilith her best puppy-dog eyes. “I may, or may not, have told Cam that we’ll take her home.”

Lilith raised an eyebrow at her pleading companion. “Yes. Emphasis on the we, Ava.”

Ava groaned loudly. “I know! But Mary just called now and offered me an overtime shift, which you know I badly need. So I’ll just take the bus to go to the shop and you can drop Camila off on your way home.” Ava waggles her eyebrows at Lilith, who merely crosses her arms and looked unamused.

Ava decides to barrel on to further prove her case. “The extra shift will really save my ass. Rent is coming up, I need to buy some stuff for one class, I owe Camila five bucks, plus I can pay you back for the pizza last night..”

Lilith rolls her eyes good-naturedly before sighing loudly. “Pizza, three sodas, a gallon of milk, a tub of ice cream, two orders of birria, a plate of sushi, a pack of gummies, five orders of fries, two quarter-pounder cheeseburgers and one whole roasted chicken.”

Ava laughs out loud and quickly stops when she sees Lilith’s deadpan face. ”You’re serious?! See? All the more reason I need to take this shift. So please.. help a friend out?”

Ava continued to assault Lilith with her own version of trembling pouty lips and sad puppy-eyes, to which Lilith countered back with an overly exaggerated eye roll and an exasperated groan. “Oh alright! You owe me a lot on this. Bloody hell. You hear me Silva?”

“Yes! Great! I’ll go tell Cam right now!” Ava grins widely and pumps her fist in the air before running off towards Camila.

--

Beatrice is waiting at the bus stop and is on her way to Arqtech, where she takes her internship under Dr. Jillian Salvius, the renowned scientist for various breakthroughs in the medical field. It’s already rush hour and she secretly wished she had her trusty car, but was currently at the shop for maintenance. The bus, now quickly approaching, looked like it already had people standing inside. So when the bus opened its door, she hastily went inside, grabbed onto the nearest handrail and stood near the driver.

“Wait up!” Someone yelled from the outside, right before the driver was about to close the door. The familiar girl from earlier, Camila’s friend, clumsily boarded the bus. “Thanks, man!” She said gratefully to the driver, who only grunted in response, tapped her card in the machine and stood next to Beatrice.

Ava recognized her and greeted her with a smile. “Hey! You’re with Camila earlier right? I’m Ava.”

“My apologies about earlier. I’m Beatrice. We’re in social science class.” Beatrice politely returned Ava’s smile, before suddenly realizing something. Who was taking Camila home?

“Oh yeah, that’s right! I’ve been thinking which class we were both attending because you looked familiar.” The bus unceremoniously swerved to the right before stopping and Ava almost lost her balance before she bumped into Beatrice’s shoulder. Thankfully, she was able to grab the handrail immediately and smiled goofily at the other girl. “Sorry.. Bumpy ride.”

Beatrice politely smiled back at Ava as a seat was fortunately vacated right in front of them. She gestured to Ava, offering the seat, to which the other girl shook her head. “Nah it’s okay. I’m getting out on the next stop anyway. I’m good to stand.”

“If you don’t mind then.” Beatrice gave Ava a tight-lipped smile before gracefully claiming the vacant seat.

Ava held on the handrail once the bus started moving and unconsciously started looking around the bus. Nothing seemed to pique here interest, so she found herself staring at the window. The quiet blur of everything outside distracted her for a while until her gaze settled on a familiar reflection.

Beatrice. Suits her. She looks pretty.. Wait what? Huh. What was that.. Anyway, she seems nice. A whole lot nicer than Lilith, I bet. What is it with these British chicks though. Why are they so tense. And uptight. And so so serious. Seriously..

Ava’s brows became furrowed and she shakes her head, before her eyes started to widen comically when she sees Beatrice’s reflection smiling back at her.

Oh god! She caught me staring at her! Oh god oh god oh god! What do I do? Fuck!

Ava started panicking internally and didn’t realize her grip on the handrail had already slackened when the bus abruptly jerked forward. Some people shouted in annoyance at the driver, while Ava found herself red-faced and awkwardly plopped down on Beatrice’s lap who was gently holding on to her.

Motherf--!

“Shit! Beatrice, I’m so so sorry!” Ava apologized profusely while scrambling to stand up. She noticed a faint blush on the other girl’s cheek, who quietly cleared her throat before smiling and muttering a barely audible “It’s okay.”

--

Lilith calmly walked over to where Ava had left Camila and stopped short in front of the smaller girl. “If you’re ready, shall we?”

“Y-yes please!” Camila yelps then clears her throat. “I mean, yeah. Let’s go.”

Camila looked nervous as they walked silently to the car. “If it’s an inconvenience for you to drop me off, I can just call a cab.. It’s not a big deal.”

“Don’t be absurd. Your house is along the way and I will absolutely never hear the end of it from Ava, if she finds out I backed out on my word.” Lilith reassured Camila as she stopped beside a sleek black car and pressed the unlock button, gesturing for the open-mouthed curly-haired girl to get in.

Camila knows her cars and is an absolute fan of British vehicles, was completely awestruck at having been given the chance to ride a convertible Bentley Continental GT and chauffeured by the scarily attractive friend of Ava’s. She started gushing and talking non-stop while Lilith only gave nods and hums as response, who was focused on driving.

As the car turned to the next street, Camila suddenly shouted while pointing to a running guy not far ahead. “H-he took the lady’s bag!”

“Bloody wanker!” Lilith mumbled to herself as she suddenly floored the gas pedal and impressively bumped the snatcher with just enough force to knock him off his feet. The guy rolled on the hood then fell to the ground. “Stupid bitch! You hit me!”

Lilith rolled her windows down and looked at guy sprawled on the pavement. “Excuse me? You hit my car with your filthy body! Now leave the bag before I call the authorities.. Or would you want this stupid bitch to just run you over?” Lilith smirked as Camila was left speechless while watching the events unfold.

The guy grumbled but did as he was told and scurried off. “That’s what I thought..” Lilith murmured, before getting out of the car and retrieving the bag. She was met halfway by the woman, who was thanking her profusely and asking how she can return the favor, to which Lilith graciously declined. The woman then saw Camila poke her head out the window and smile at her, so she pulled a little card from her bag and handed it to Lilith who hesitantly took it with a questioning look.

“If your girl wants to eat something fancy, just let me know. She seems like a nice girl..” The woman gestured towards the card before smiling and waving Lilith goodbye. “It’s the least I could do for you. And thank you again.”

“M-my girl?” Lilith called out after the woman. “What girl?”

Huh.

--

“You what now?” Mary was laughing while she was arranging comic books on the display shelf.

Ava glared at Mary, while she was stacking comic books on the shelf beside her. “It’s not funny y’know.”

Mary snorted loudly. “Yeah, it is. It’s pretty fuckin’ hilarious.”

Ava groans loudly. “Tomorrow, I’ll see her in class and I definitely won’t be able to look her straight in the eye.” Not that she’d admit that she occasionally looks in her general direction, since they sit on opposite sides of the room. Ava, choosing the farthest seat from the lecturer for obvious reasons. She may, or may not, have been stealing a few (okay maybe whenever the opportunity presents itself) glances whenever the British girl recites in class. Who wouldn’t though? The girl is smart and beautiful. Not to mention the sexy accent.

“I think it would probably be a better idea if you look at me, not her. I’m the one teaching the class, in case you forgot.” Shannon echoed from behind the counter. “And why is it that every single time I look in your direction, you’re always hiding behind JC. Always sleeping.”

Ava immediately thought of an excuse. “It’s because your lessons are so relaxing to me.”

“Nice save, Baby H.” Mary nods her head approvingly and gives Ava a smile and a thumbs up. “Anyway, Shannon and I will be out this weekend, so you’ll also have the weekend off since the shop’ll be closed.”

“What? Why? Where are you guys going?” Ava grinned as she waggled her eyebrows mischievously at the older girl. “Please bring me something back from your trip..”

“We’re gonna be visiting some relatives up north.” Mary rolled her eyes at Ava’s insinuation. “Yeah sure, if we see something kid.”

“But won’t there be a geek event this weekend near here?” Ava suddenly remembered. “You’re not attending?”

“It’s not a geek event. Don’t call it that.. but yeah. I’m just gonna catch the next event.” Mary shrugs nonchalantly. “There’s always more.”

Ava smirked. It’s a mystery to her why Mary decided to open a comic bookstore, when she doesn’t even like them. Mary’s answer is very simple, the product doesn’t spoil and those who are into this kind of hobby, has the means to pay. “That would mean a lot of customers that day! Can’t I open the store?”

“Nope.” Mary answered plainly.

“Why the heck not? We’d probably be able to sell a lot during the event!” Ava protested.

Before Mary could reply, Shannon responded. “We, meaning Mary and I, sell a lot. While you, on the other hand, keep on arguing with customers. Ava, you can’t just tell them what they must or mustn’t buy.”

Mary snickered loudly beside Ava, who was already pouting and was about to question Shannon’s claims, but then remembered some (or if she was accurate most) of her customers have indeed walked out the store after bickering with her.

“Fiiine..” Ava relented grudgingly as she folded her arms at the two laughing women.

--

The smell of tea, crisp bacon and fresh toast wafted inside the apartment as the two girls ate their breakfast. Beatrice gingerly sipped her sweet nettle tea while Camila talked non-stop about her ride home.

“So she hit the guy with her car and threaten to run him over?” Beatrice was clearly unimpressed, but she didn’t want to disappoint Camila so she feigned to have the slightest interest on the story. “That’s a bit reckless don’t you think?”

“A bit yes..” Camila carefully thought for a moment before shrugging. “But it was so cool! She was so cool!” It took Beatrice sheer willpower not to roll her eyes at friend, who was obviously gushing at her sworn nemesis.

Camila sighs happily before turning her attention towards her friend. “So how about you? What did Dr. Salvius want? Anything interesting happened yesterday?”

The embarrassing bus incident easily came to mind, but she ultimately decided against telling Camila about it. “It was rather.. uneventful.” Beatrice said before taking another sip of her tea.

Camila suddenly snapped her finger. “Oh! Before I forget, Ava and—“ Beatrice suddenly started coughing violently, which made Camila rush over to the other side and give Beatrice a pat on the back. “Are you alright Bea?”

Beatrice nods her head as she tries clearing her throat. “Yes.. I.. Uh.. Wrong hole.” She smiles embarrassingly at the other girl.

Camila looks carefully at Beatrice before going back to her seat. She then starts blabbing about how Ava and her will be planning some org stuff after classes and what time she might be coming back home. Beatrice offers to wait for her since she would be getting her trusty car back from the shop so they could go home together, but Camila declines the offer. “I know you’re thinking we should be able to finish our prep in half the time, but it’s Ava. We’ll eventually talk for hours and hours before cramming in the end.”

Beatrice nodded at Camila before getting her bag and keys from the table. “We better leave now or we’ll both be late.”

--

Ava and Lilith were bickering on their way to Ava’s first class before spotting Bea and Camila talking just outside the lecture room. Camila suddenly perked up as the two girls approached them. “Good morning Ava! Hi Lilith!”

“Cami! Hey Beatrice!” Ava beamed widely before she felt Lilith slightly nudge her arm.

“No wonder you needed your jacket today Ava.. You have class together with the ice queen.” Lilith smirked while eyeing Beatrice.

“Surely the gates of hell need your undivided attention Lilith..” Beatrice says nonchalantly without batting an eyelash, before turning to give a small smile to Ava. “Good morning Ava.”

“Oookaaayyy..” Ava smiles nervously as she discreetly signals Camila to do something about the stare down happening between their friends.

Camila claps her hands loudly to try and break the tension. “So Ava! I’ll see you later?”

“Y-yeah for sure! Lilith you don’t want to be late for class, so you and Camila should go.. right now.” Ava pushed Lilith towards Camila, who quickly hooked her arm around Lilith’s and waved the two goodbye before she started to drag the taller girl away.

A wide-eyed Ava then turned to face Beatrice. “I can not believe you just said that to Lilith! To Lilith! Other people would’ve just pissed in their pants or fainted or run away crying or something.”

“My apologies.. But I’m not like the rest, I guess.” Beatrice shrugged coolly. “Shall we head to class?” Ava nodded unconsciously as she gazed admiringly at Beatrice’s back.

Damn woman.

--

Ava, as usual, is sat in the back of the room and hiding behind her classmate. Shannon’s lecture was about gender inequality and although Ava usually finds this topic interesting, her mind was somewhat preoccupied by a certain British girl. Her ears perked up the moment she heard that Beatrice was called for recitation, and slowly angled head to get a better view of her classmate.

She really is something. How could she not notice it all this time? That’s why Shannon always speaks highly of Beatrice. I wonder why Lilith hates her.. “Is she single?” Ava thought out loud.

Someone snickered as the whole class suddenly looked at her. Shit. “Did I just say that out loud? Just practicing some play shit.. Sorry.” Ava smiled innocently.

--

After her classes, Beatrice went to the car shop to get her Range Rover Evoque, and went back to their apartment with thoughts of Ava’s recent slip-up. Ava? In a play? Who was she referring to? She immediately dismissed it and decided to have a relaxing bath.

She prepared the water in the tub, added a bit of eucalyptus oil and lighted some scented candles. Before grabbing her unfinished book, she borrowed Camila’s waterproof bluetooth speaker and played music from her phone with the volume maxed out.

As soon as Beatrice relaxed into her bath, she failed to check the most recent text from Camila.

Cinnamon Roll Cami: Change of plans. Will be home earlier. With Ava.

--

Ava was waiting for Camila at the stadium bleachers, eating ice cream while watching the football club’s training and cheering loudly for JC. Their university is currently rated last in rankings because of a crappy sports program. Ava was wondering if a single win could decidedly change the mind of the higher ups and give the athletic department a more substantial budget to work with.

Camila was panting as she approached Ava. “Can we change venue?”

Ava stuffed the last portion of the cone sloppily into her mouth, before licking her sticky fingers. “Sure, but why? This is, like, our spot.”

“I-uh..” Camila hesitated before she sat down beside Ava and leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “I kinda.. might’ve.. used the university’s computer to hack into a certain website..”

Ava narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Camila. “Were you caught?..”

“Of course not!” Camila said defensively. “But there’s this itty-bitty, well big, possibility that I might’ve triggered the security system..” She trailed off.

“Then what’s the problem?” Ava stood up and stretched her arms. “As long as you’re not caught, right?”

“Yeah.. I guess you’re right. I’m just a bummed out right now because I was a bit sloppy.” Camila said pensively before perking up again. “I’ll just return to that site in a few days.” Ava whipped her head around and raised her eyebrows.

Camila shrugged. “What? I use them as training grounds.”

“Suuure… so where should we go?” Ava asked curiously, eyebrows still raised.

Camila slung her bag over her shoulder and stood up. “Let’s go back to my place. I’ll ask Bea to make something for us.”

Ava gulped. “Bea as in Beatrice? British girl? Lilith’s ice queen?”

“Yup, the one and the same. You’re in Shannon’s social science class right? We’re roomies.” Camila added excitedly. “Let’s roll!”

--

The apartment was located at the third floor of a well-maintained building on the southern side of the campus. The thirty-minute walk to the apartment was filled with jokes, laughter and constant bickering, that they barely realized they’ve arrived at their destination.

Camila gently opened the door to their apartment and ushered Ava inside. “Make yourself at home.” She shrugged her coat off and put her keys on their entry table.

Ava slowly went inside, mentally preparing herself to meet a certain someone. She could hear music coming from the first door on the left and pointed her thumb in that direction. “Classical music?”

“Yup. Beatrice’s go to music for relaxation.” Camila smiled, leading Ava to the sofa. “Coffee?” Camila asked as she made her way to the kitchen.

“Yes, please.” Ava politely replied while still looking around before finally settling down on the couch in the far corner.

“Sorry we ran out of coffee.” Camila poked her head from the kitchen. “Do you mind? I’ll just go down real quick to the convenience store and buy some.”

Ava quickly waved her hands at Camila. “You don’t need to do that, water’ll do.”

“Don’t be silly. Ava Silva always drinks coffee.” Camila said while walking towards the front door. “I’ll be quick. You’ll be fine. Just don’t go poking around my room.” Camilla warned, point her finger to Ava then closed the door behind her.

Ava is not engineered to follow rules. Sometimes, usually rather, she would not do as she’s told especially in a friend’s place. She would look around for pictures or tinker with stuff that interests her or mess up anything for fun, but now she chooses to do otherwise. A good ten minutes have already passed while Ava tried to wait patiently for Camila to return, before she heard the music coming from the bathroom stopped.

Beatrice eventually came out whilst reading her book, both her body and hair wrapped in a white towel before she went directly into one of the rooms, failing to notice Ava.

Ava was entranced.

Didn’t she notice me? Did she? Oh god oh god oh god. What do I do if she comes back out? What do I say to her? Where the heck is Camila? Shit, Shit, Shit. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

Beatrice came out of her room still just wearing a towel, her wet hair dripping and went straight to the kitchen. “Cami, what would you like for dinner? There’s leftover pizza from last night and tuna wraps from earlier..”

Fuck. Should I answer? What do I do? Come on Silva think!

“How about pasta?” Beatrice called from the kitchen. Ava starts to panic.

Shit. She thinks I’m Camila?

”Uhm..” Ava gives an awkward wave the moment Beatrice sees her.

“Ava?” Beatrice eyes widened and her cheeks blushed furiously as she tried to hide behind the corner wall, before darting back to her room and closing the door.

Oh god. She’s a goddamn epitome of an angel. I hope she thinks I’m not a pervert. Shit! What if she hates me because I’ve seen her barely clothed? Fuck. She’s hot. Christ, Lilith’s gonna skin me alive if she finds out I’m starting to like her number one rival.

The front door finally opens and Camila is back holding two bags of groceries. “Sorry. I know I took a while, but I remembered I also needed to buy some other stuff.”

“Wait, what’s wrong? Why are you flushed?” Camila asked, her face full of concern.

Ava starts to fan herself. “N-nothing.. I was uh.. It was a bit hot earlier.. Must be coming down with a fever or something..” Ava answered, trying to sound convincing.

Camila wasn’t entirely convinced but had kept it to herself. “You sure?.. Be back in a jiff, I’ll bring you coffee.” She patted Ava’s leg before she stood up and went to the kitchen.

Beatrice opened her door and, now fully-clothed, shyly approached Ava. “I mistook you for Camila earlier.. I am truly sorry that. If my behavior might have offended you in any way.”

Beatrice casually walks around the apartment in just a towel? Good god! Camila better make their apartment our permanent meeting place..

Ava smiled cheekily. “Don’t worry ‘bout it! You should see me in my place going commando.”

Fuck! That came out wrong! Ava you pervert! Jesus Christ! What will Beatrice think of you now, you imbecile!

Beatrice doesn’t know how to respond to that, so she just smiles at Ava and sits on the other side of the sofa. “You should stay for dinner. It’s the least I could do after my inappropriate behavior earlier.”

“What inappropriate behavior?” Camila returned to the living room holding two mugs, handed one to Ava and sat between the two girls. “Yeah Ava. You should stay for dinner. Beatrice is a great cook.”

Ava smiles at Camila before turning to look at Beatrice. “If it’s not too much of an inconvenience for both of you, I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.”

Ava excuses herself to go to the bathroom and sends Lilith several text messages.

Ava: Lil! I tink Im inluv.. 😍🥰

Angel with horns: Ugh.. I’ve heard that one before.. 🙄 😑 😒 🤨

Ava: u r such a negatron

Angel with horns: Keyword -> think

Angel with horns: So who is it this time?  🙄 😑 😒 🤨

Ava: 4 a srius-luking brit girl lyk u id nvr tot ud b n2 smileys

Angel with horns: Bloody hell Silva! Can you, for the love of Christ, learn to text properly?! 🙄 😑 😒 🤨

----

Ava nodded approvingly to herself as she savored each and every spoonful of pasta she shoved into her mouth. Camila wasn’t kidding, this is perhaps one of the best, if not the best, pasta she has ever tasted in her entire existence.

Cinnamon roll is one lucky girl! First, she gets to see a half naked Beatrice like most prolly all the freakin’ time and gets to eat this!? Bea’s cooking?! Aww shit! Life is really not fair!

“Ava, would you like another serving?” Beatrice smiles and offers when she sees Ava scraping off her plate clean.

Ava gently pats her stomach out of habit. “Normally I wouldn’t say no to free food, but I’ve already had two very generous servings..” Ava regretfully trailed off. She’s already full, but still wanted to eat and commit to memory Beatrice’s cooking. She looks at Beatrice then Camila and grins widely, holding both her thumbs up. “Seriously though, this is the best pasta I’ve ever tasted so far.”

“I told you so.” Camila beams proudly as if she’s the one who cooked their meal. “Just one of the reasons why I’m not going to leave Bea any time soon.”

“Your friendship means a lot to me too, Camila.” Beatrice smiles and teased back. “Thank you Ava. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Ava started to blush a little, seeing Beatrice looking at her with such sincerity. Oh God! I think I’m melting.. Come on Silva! What the hell? Think of a good comeback! Show her you got game!

Ava gulped loudly. “Can I take you out?”

Both girls whipped their head around. Beatrice looked stunned while Camila only gave her a sly smile.

Oh no. Oh. Shit.

“I-I mean can I have some? F-for take out?” Ava stuttered while trying to avoid looking at both girls. Not that she wouldn’t want to take Beatrice out or something in the not so distant future. “I was talking about the food. You’re delicious.. I mean the pasta! The pasta you cooked is delicious!” Ava waved her hands around wildly, hoping to alleviate the awkward situation she put herself in. Camila tries to stifle her laughter as Beatrice curiously eyed Ava.

What. The. Fuck. Earth swallow me now..

Before she opens her mouth again, Ava’s phone suddenly rings and breathes a sigh of relief as she is saved by the bell, literally. God, woman. I could kiss you right now. Thank you Lilith!

“Excuse me. Sorry, but I need to take this. It’s Lilith.” Showing the girls her phone screen before swiping to answer.

Beatrice subtly rolls her eyes and looked away at the sight of it, while Camila suddenly perked up. “It’s Lilith! Put her on speaker so I can say hi.”

Ava placed her phone on the table and pressed speaker. “Hey Lil! I—“

“Where are you?” Lilith cut her off. “I’m at –“

Camila cut her off. “Hi Lilith! What’s up!”

“Camila?” Lilith was quite surprised to hear her voice. What was Ava doing with Camila? Were they studying together? That would be complete rubbish since Ava doesn’t even bother to study until right before the finals.  

“I’m here at Cam’s place.” Ava glanced at Beatrice, contemplating whether to let Lilith know about her presence as well. “Beatrice is also here.”

Beatrice slightly frowned at that. Lilith seems to have perfected the ability to ruin her mood, with or without her presence.

“Yeah whatever.” Lilith answered curtly.

To control her temper, Beatrice put a spoonful of pasta in her mouth and chewed in silence. Ava couldn’t help but smile as she found the annoyed version of Beatrice really cute. “So what’s up Lil?”

Lilith sighed. “Chanel invited me to her friend’s bar tonight. It’s the grand opening so I’m taking you with me.” She paused, thinking if she should invite Camila as well. “… And Camila.. If she wants..”

“Hell yeah! I’m in!” Ava exclaimed in delight. “Drinks are free right?”

“Yes, it’s an open bar.” Lilith answered, fully aware that Ava could sometimes get crazy drunk when not fully supervised. “But control yourself, Silva.”

“Aww.. I will try mom!” Ava joked back while looking at Camila waggling her eyebrows at her.

Camila got excited because of the open bar or the fact that Lilith invited her, maybe both. “Count me in! Come on Bea! It sounds like fun.” Gently tugging at Beatrice’s arm, looking pleadingly into her friend’s eyes.

“Ha!” Lilith mocked. “I don’t think miss goody-two-shoes wants to be caught partying on a weekday.”

Beatrice inhaled deeply before exhaling and answering. “Alright. Fine. I’ll come..” Mentally chastising herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. Then again, Ava will be there.. And Camila too, she added quickly.

Ava giddily claps her hands and leans over her phone. “Great! You still remember Cam’s address right? We’ll just wait for you here. Oh! Please bring my leather jacket Lil. Thanks!” Before Lilith even starts to open her mouth to complain, Ava quickly ends the call and turns to look at Beatrice and Camila and winks at them both. “You guys better get ready. She’ll be here in less than half an hour.”

--

The car ride felt like an eternity for Beatrice, even though the said bar was only 15 minutes away. Sitting at the back of Lilith’s car feels awkward and uncomfortable, especially when the one who’s driving them is her archenemy and her imaginary brake pedal is not working.

On the other hand, Camila seems to be enjoying the ride. She’s leaning forward between the driver and passenger seat, chatting with Ava non-stop and occasionally with Lilith. Thankfully, Lilith is focused on the road, despite being a speed junkie and a hot headed driver.

Lilith slowed down when they turned the corner and ordered Ava to quit the chit-chat and help her look for a place to park. The curb was already lined with cars as the loud music can already be heard a few blocks down. Camila squealed as she pointed to a car about to leave its spot a few yards ahead before Lilith quickly drove and eased her car into the slot.

“Lilith! This line is like a kilometer long! Drinks will be gone by the time we get inside.” Ava whined as she looked at Lilith who only smirked back.

“Who said anything about lining up?” Lilith gestured for them to follow her as they started walking towards the front of the queue. As soon as they neared the front door, the beats pulsated even louder and the colorful lights swirled around playfully. Lilith leaned closer to the girl with the guest list and shouted over the blaring music, the girl then gave the group a smile as she personally ushered them inside the bar and lead them to a reserved table with plush leather couch seats before excusing herself. Ava quickly plopped herself down on one side as Camila and Beatrice sat on the opposite side. Lilith excused herself to find Chanel while Camila offered to accompany Ava to the bar to get their drinks.

“Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Whiskey Sour and Margarita please.” Ava raised her hand to get the bartender’s attention, who nodded at her, before facing Camila again. ”So, who do you think will get drunk first?”

Camila was looking around and laughed softly as she faced Ava. “You?”

“Ha!” Ava laughed good-naturedly as she playfully shoved Camila. “No. I meant Lilith or Beatrice?” She glanced at Beatrice who was sat stiff as a board and was busy scrolling through her phone.

Camila thoughtfully tapped her finger on her chin. “Definitely not Bea. I haven’t seen her drunk. Plus, when she drinks, it’s always controlled. She’s very disciplined and guarded when it comes to these things. I wish I could see her get drunk, even just once, though.”

Ava snorted loudly before grinning widely at Camila. “Really? I got Lilith drunk, once, at her apartment, and she called me a lot of sophisticated shit. It was so funny!” Camila laughed out loud when Ava tried to mimic Lilith’s drunk voice and mannerisms. “Ava, you incoherent disorderly peasant fool!”

Once the laughter had died down, Ava started fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and glanced nervously at Beatrice before meeting Camila’s curious look. “So.. Beatrice..”

Camila raised an eyebrow at the flustered girl. “What about Beatrice?” She smirked knowingly.

Ava coolly pointed her thumb in Beatrice’s direction. “Nothing. Uhm.. Just… I-Is she.. Y’know.. Is she, like, seeing anyone.. Right now..?” Camila gives Beatrice a quick glance before looking back at Ava, grinning wickedly.

“What?” Ava whines as she feels Camila’s prying eyes on her. “Stop that!”

Camila’s smile doesn’t falter one bit and just shrugs innocently. “Stop what? I’m not doing anything. I’m just smiling.”

“Ugh. Never mind..” Ava grumbles quietly before she feels Camila move closer and lean towards her.

“I’m kidding!” Camila gently pats Ava’s arm. “I don’t think she’s seeing anyone right now though.. She’s had several suitors, but she really wants to focus entirely on academics and her internship.” Ava nods understandingly as she starts thinking whether the info she just learned was either a good or bad thing.

Camila gently nudges Ava with her shoulder and smiles shyly. “What about Lilith? Is she single?..”

Ava grins wickedly when she looks at the blushing curly-haired girl beside her. “No one dares to ask Lilith out.” Ava started laughing before her expression turned somewhat serious. “I think she likes you though.. Just don’t tell her I said that.”

“Really?” Camila squealed gleefully while clapping, until some people in the bar started giving her weird looks. “How can you tell?”

Ava tilts her head and taps her jaw with her index finger. “Well, first off, you’re here aren’t you? She invited you, which rarely happens by the way. I mean the invite. Also, she drove you home the other day. She seldom lets other people set foot in her uber expensive ride. Plus, she would usually just bail when I ask her for favors like those.” Ava smiles back at Camila. “I’m just glad you’re not terrified of Lilith. She’s a really good person once you get to know her.”

“At first, yes I was terrified.. But after that drive home, I started to realize that she’s really nice and cool.. and hot..” Camila sighs dreamily. “People should just look deeper.”

“Not a lot of people do.” Ava laughs. “All they see is a bitch in an angel’s body.” Camila nods vigorously.

--

When Lilith returned to their booth, she found Beatrice sitting there alone looking awkwardly out of place while scrolling through her phone. Rather than engage in small talk with little miss perfect, she decided to sit on the opposite side, took her phone out and started browsing too. Unbeknownst to both girls, they’ve been giving each other the side-eye from time to time.

In the middle of their awkward silence, a group suddenly stopped in front of their table. “The University will be very disappointed knowing their two golden girls are partying on a school night.”

The unmistakable accent made both Beatrice and Lilith look up at the same time. Already leering down at them were Crimson and her group. Lilith and Beatrice already considered each other as bitter rivals, but it was a different league altogether when it came to the pale red-haired girl. They both had to agree that they hated her. Plain and simple.

“Oh right! Mommy and Daddy will just have to donate another building, or some shiny new things, or fill the pockets of all the board members and all will be forgiven and forgotten.” Crimson added, clearly taunting them.

Beatrice sighed deeply, pocketed her phone down and stood up. “Look, Crimson.” She started in a very serious tone. “I simply do not want to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.”

“And besides, you’re not pretty enough to be that stupid. So just run along then with your little mindless drones.” Lilith added, smirking deviously, before waving off the Scottish girl and her gang.

“What. Did. You. Just. Say. To. Me.?” Crimson dared, taking a step forward, effectively dwarfing Beatrice.

Beatrice stood her ground and looked up at the taller girl glaring menacingly down at her. “I can only explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you. You have do that yourself. Am I making myself clear?”

Lilith slowly stood up and tilted her head. “Wow Crimson, you consistently set preposterously low expectations and still fail to achieve them.” Lilith smiled innocently before making her way to stand beside Beatrice.

Crimson already feeling pissed, glowered at the two girls in front of her. “You saying I’m stupid?” Taking another step closer.

“No. I clearly do not remember saying that.” Beatrice answered rather confidently. “We were simply implying your ineptitude, intellectual or otherwise. You then inferred that you’re stupid. Your words, not mine.”

Lilith, feeling competitive over the whole situation, decided to add to the insults, provoked the fuming girl even further. “It’s not like we hate you or anything, well, we do. But given the chance, if you were on life support, I would gladly unplug it to charge my phone.”

The taller girl then turned and faced Lilith, her face full of rage, caught Lilith by surprise and pushed her hard, letting her fall down into the couch, then proceeds to grab the front of the shirt of a shocked Beatrice afterwards and pushes her onto the table, effectively starting a full-blown girl fight.

--

“What did you do Ava?” Shannon asked, her tone strict, as soon as she saw her student, when she walked through the station’s door with Mary right behind her.

“Me?!” Ava tried to defend herself. “Why would you always think that it’s me?”

Mary bit her lower lip thoughtfully before replying. “You do have quite a record for getting into trouble, Baby H.” She puts her arms around Ava to comfort her somehow. “And we both know that it’s only a matter of time before the police calls us to pick you up from the station.”

Ava narrowed her eyes at her parent-figures. “Sorry to disappoint you guys, but I’m not the one in trouble. At least not right now.” They walked inside the station and immediately saw Camila sitting near the reception desk.

Camila stood up and greeted them with her signature sweet smile. “Good evening, Professor Shannon.”

“Hello Camila.” Shannon responded barely smiling, obviously disappointed with how her usually good students ended up in a police station. “I’d like to see you tomorrow in my office.”

“W-why? Am I in trouble too..?” Camila asked nervously, looking confused.

Shannon looked at Camila. “Only if you get caught. For now, you were not caught.” A look of recognition crossed Camila’s face the moment she realized she’s been caught hacking and looked down clearly guilty. Although she wanted to compliment Camila for her technological prowess, Shannon didn’t want to encourage her actions.

Ava cleared her throat then flicked her head to the right side of the room towards a specific cell. There inside, Shannon saw two of her students sitting on opposite sides of the cell completely ignoring each other. Shannon just stood there unmoving and unbelieving, looking at the sight before her. Two of the University’s top students are being detained by the police. She sighed exasperatedly before turning to face Ava. “Explain to me again what happened.”

“Okay.. we’re not really sure how..” Ava began, as she put her hands in her pockets. “Me and Camila were just ordering drinks from the bartender. Then we went back to our booth, we found this redhead and her group, they were attacking both Lilith and Beatrice. One thing lead to another, and the next thing I know, they were being handcuffed and brought here."

Wide-eyed and still not believing everything Ava had told them, Shannon and Mary turned to Camila to corroborate the entire fiasco. “Everything Ava said is the truth. It was Crimson and her group. She was here earlier but her folks already got her out.”

Mary gestures to the two girls inside the cell. “They are still inside.. Why is that?”

“Because they’d rather spend the night in jail than let their parents know.” Shannon whispered loudly before marching over to the officer in charge.

The police officer looked up from his desk as Shannon approached. “Good evening Ma’am, what can I do for you?”

“I’m here for those girls.” Pointing at the detention cell on the right side. The two girls looked miserable and seems not to have seen them yet. Mary joined her and greeted the officer. “Hey Gary! Long night?”

“Hey Mary, well you could say that.” The bored-looking officer responded then glimpsed behind at the cell. “What’s your relationship with them?” He flipped through several pages in his clipboard and waited for Shannon’s response.

“I’m their Professor.”

He looks up at Mary then back to Shannon. “Alright. Sign here.” Handing Shannon the clipboard, pointing where to sign, then stood up and got a bunch of keys from a drawer. “Kids today.. Where are the parents?”

“Out of the country. For business. We are their chaperones and babysitters. I meant guardians.” Mary quickly said.

“Will these be in their permanent record?” Shannon asked, full of concern.

“Nah.” Gary waved his hand at Shannon. “It’s nothing serious. We just detained them and had them spend one night here so they’ll know how it feels. Hopefully, they didn’t like the feeling.” Gary chuckled to himself.

Shannon felt relieved as Mary gently held her hand for support as they walked to the cell.

--

The following day, Beatrice, Camila and Lilith were sitting quietly in the waiting area. Eyes downcast as they waited for their turn. As soon as the student inside walked out, Shannon’s secretary ushered the three girls inside the office. Shannon gestured for each to take a seat before leaning over her table to look at the girls more closely.

“I’ve decided on your punishment.” Shannon started by putting her fingertips together. The initial plan was only to talk to her students, but Mary suggested had something better.

Lilith straightened her posture and spoke first. “Punishment? For what? Weren’t we already detained last night? Isn’t the shame of it all enough punishment for me? What’s Camila here for anyway?”

“For bailing you two out. For not telling the IT security.” Shannon crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, carefully eyeing the three.

“Bail? We were simply detained to teach us a lesson, like what Officer Gary mentioned last night. There were no charges pressed against us. ” Lilith vehemently insisted.

“We’re being blackmailed.” Beatrice softly muttered under her breath.

Shannon smiled at the three rather sweetly. “Fine. Would you rather I call your parents then?”

Lilith inhaled sharply but held her tongue and glanced at each of her companions. The two girls beside her looked resigned and seemed to have already accepted their fate, so she decided to acquiesce rather unwillingly. Bloody hell. How bad could Shannon’s “punishment” be?

Seeing her students’ downtrodden looks, Shannon clears her throat and stands up. She grabs another chair and sits in front of them. “As I was saying, this is really not a punishment per se, more like a favor.. for me.” She wasn’t sure if her students will appreciate being blackmailed into doing her a favor, but Mary had a point. The sales in the store this weekend will go to waste if they don’t open, and they can’t possibly leave Ava in charge of everything. So it wouldn’t hurt to have an extra set of responsible and reliable pairs of hands.

“It will not go to our permanent record?” Beatrice asked, with Camila looking curious as well.

Lilith couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Of course that would be her primary concern. A blemish on her perfect record. Nonetheless, she was somewhat glad Beatrice had asked first since her pride will not allow her to do so.

“No, it won’t.” Shannon reassured them. Both Beatrice and Lilith nodded approvingly.

“And our punishment..?” Camila asked softly, as Lilith held her breath and Beatrice furrowed her brows.

Shannon smiled, tilted her head and replied. “This weekend..”

--

“Mary! What made you change your mind?” Ava yelled happily as she bounced her way inside the comic bookstore. She went straight to the back where she found Mary, packing food for their trip. “Do you guys now realize that I’m a responsible adult?” She teased Mary while mindlessly throwing her bag on the sofa.

Mary shakes her head, then turned to face Ava. “First off, it’s never gonna happen. Responsible adult my ass.” Mary replied casually. She sealed one container and put it in a bag. They’ve planned this trip for a long time and they’re finally able to go without worrying about the store. Three brilliant students and an Ava for one day, what could possibly go wrong? “Secondly, Shannon and I got some extra hands to watch you and the store.”

“Watch? Me?” Feigning innocence by placing her hand on her chest, expressing complete shock at the accusations being hurled against her. “What am I? A six-year old child?”

Mary winks at Ava while clicking her tongue and points a finger at the sulking younger girl. “You got it!”

The familiar sound of the chimes alerted them of the front door being opened. “Speaking of.. I think they’re here.” She picks up a bag from the floor, slings another bag on her shoulder and started walking towards the front of the store with Ava scuffing her shoes behind her.

Shannon was already there talking to three girls. When Ava got closer to the door, she couldn’t believe her eyes and had to blink several times. It’s Beatrice! She’s here! In the store! Lilith and Camila as well. Fuck who cares? What the fuck are they all doing here? God Beatrice is so hot..

Different scenarios now flooded her mind on how to get Beatrice alone, then quickly stopped herself. What are you thinking Silva?! Those are you’re friends. Go say hi dumbass. Act cool.

Ava tried to smize and nodded her head. “Hey! Lady fellows..? ‘Sup!” Great. Definitely not weird. Shit.

All of them looked at her with oddity, which was something not new to her anyway. Ava sneakily made herself scarce to avoid further embarrassment and almost tripped on her way to the front door, before switching the sign to Open.

Shannon shook her head and looked at her students. “Thank you for coming again. We..” Mary stood beside her and handed her a bag which she gladly took. “..Really appreciate this.” She added genuinely. This was Mary’s idea and she couldn’t believe she had agreed to it. Blackmailing her three students was not what she had in mind, but because of the recent happenings they were finally given the chance to visit their folks AND have the shop open during the weekend with a geek event which meant high sales.

Beatrice, Camila and Lilith replied with You’re welcome, Enjoy your trip and Whatever, respectively.

As Shannon and Mary made their way out, Mary pulled Ava to one side and put an arm around the younger girl. “Don’t go causing trouble, okay? And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Mary laughed as she slapped Ava’s shoulder and didn’t even bother to wait for an answer before joining Shannon again and went on their merry way.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ava called after Mary, then turned to face her new co-workers waggling her eyebrows at them. “So.. where do we begin?”

--

It had been a long day but they managed to sell a lot of comic books and other items, which would undoubtedly make the couple very happy when they return the following day. Most of their regular customers were surprised, some were quieted pleased, when they saw fresh faces in the shop.

Lilith was put in charge of the cash register and, somehow, managed to coerce some weak-willed customers into adding more items in their basket, while at the checkout counter. Camila was delegated to the front area of the shop, welcoming customers, giving everyone her sweet smile and charming her way and persuading guys and girls alike into buying more items. Beatrice was also supposed to be at the front of the shop like Camila, until Ava noticed earlier that day that several customers were asking for her number. So she had discreetly requested Beatrice to handle the shop’s inventory instead, located at the back of the store where no customer is allowed. Even Ava was able to sell a fairly substantial amount of comics, since she was too busy watching over Beatrice to argue with their patrons.

A few hours left before closing, Beatrice is doing a mini-inventory around the shop, counting and tallying with her clipboard. Ava, with arms behind her back, casually approached her. “Hey! Sooo.. how was it? Did you have fun here?” She gives her brightest smile. I’m not gonna leave her side while she’s here.

Beatrice smiled without looking up. “Yes it was quite fun. But I have to say that it was rather an odd, but refreshing experience.” She finished jotting down numbers and looked at Ava. “I just don’t really understand the deal with these whole comic book thing though..” She added with a weak smile.

“Oooh.. Something even the brilliant Beatrice doesn’t understand?” Ava teased good-naturedly. “Maybe I can help? Ask away.”

Beatrice chuckled softly. “Okay.. So who is the best superhero?”

Ava quickly shushed her by placing her index finger on Beatrice’s lips. “SShh! Keep it down. You can’t ask a question like that in here, unless you want to start a riot.”

Beatrice was stunned at how she found herself in such close proximity to Ava. Normally she would have flinched at such a close distance when it came to other people and immediately take a step back. But with the girl in front of her, she didn’t feel the need to stay away. Beatrice wanted to stay in that moment, if only for a few more seconds.

Lilith cleared her throat loudly, announcing her presence, as she stood beside Ava. The two quickly stepped away from each other, with Ava scratching the back of her head trying to avoid Lilith’s gaze while Beatrice muttered an incoherent response before excusing herself to return to the back of the store.

“What?” Ava asked, obviously annoyed that her brief moment with Beatrice had been disturbed.

Lilith rolled her eyes at the smaller girl. “I’m going to order dinner, what do you want?”

“I’m good with anything. Where’s Cam?” Ava’s eyes quickly scanned the entire shop.

“She’s in the back, I think. With that frigid bitch you’ve been ogling a second ago.” Lilith sounded annoyed as well as she crossed her arms and gestured around her. “So what’s the big deal about these caricatures? All these oddballs buy them like there’s no tomorrow. Like it’s a necessity.”

Ava, slightly offended, rolled her eyes at Lilith . “First, normal people call them Comic Books. Second, don’t call our customers nerds or oddballs. These are my peeps. Y’know what I’m saying?” Other regulars within earshot gave them a peculiar look, before Lilith narrowed her eyes at the prying individuals.

Ava laughs at this and shakes her head when her phone suddenly vibrates in her pocket. She pulls it out and looks at her screen and shows it to Lilith. “It’s Mary. I have to take this.” She goes to one corner as she puts the phone on her ear, while Lilith returned to her post.

“What’s up boss? Checking up on your honeybees?”

Mary laughed. “Got that right. Well actually, Shannon wanted me to check up on you girls. Make sure the shop’s doing good.”

“Aww that’s sweet of her.. But guys seriously, the store’s still in one piece.” Ava teased. She loves how the couple always checks up on her, not because she’s always causing trouble, which is quite often, but because they genuinely care about her.

“I know.” Mary replied, obviously smiling in the other line. They trust Ava but, sometimes, she doesn’t seem to think things through before doing it. “Well then, just tell the others we said hi and that dinner’s on us. Order whatever you guys like and.. I left a few beers upstairs.” The last part, she had to whisper to Ava so Shannon wouldn’t hear.

Ava’s face lights up. “Awesome! Thanks Mary!”

“Now don’t get too drunk or Shannon will have my head. We’ll be back tomorrow.” Mary said before she hung up on Ava.

“Aye! Aye!” Ava quickly slid her phone into her jeans pocket and skipped merrily to the counter.

Lilith looked bored and impatient as she waited for the next customer when Ava came over. “What’s with the silly walk?”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that because I’m in such a good mood.” Ava grinned widely at Lilith. “You know Lil, you should smile more. You’re in the front line now, dealing with customers, how can you sell anything if you’re not smiling?”

“Smiling doesn’t automatically mean sales you silly buffoon. Yes, you smile often and yet I seem to have sold more than you.” Lilith said mockingly while inspecting her nails. “To think that I’m just standing here..”

Ava raised an eyebrow, wondering what Lilith meant and could have possibly sold while manning the cash register. She looked around and noticed that the shelves housing some of the more expensive toys and graphic novels were no longer on it. “Did you buy all those toys just so you can tell me that you were able to sell more?”

Lilith huffed defensively. “What would I do with those scrap?”

“Hey! Those toys are worth more than what I earn here for half a year!” Ava countered back.

Lilith rolls her eyes. “Look, I carefully observe the customers, and try to sell the more expensive merchandise to those who are seemingly desperate enough to get their hands on Queen Elsa’s or Camila’s number.” She said smugly.

“Allow me to show you Exhibit A..” Lilith trailed off when a customer, who she saw earlier gawking intensely at Beatrice, was walking towards them holding a bunch of comic books. He hands everything to Lilith while looking around for Beatrice. “Hello there. I reckon you want to get the number of the girl you were eyeing earlier.”

The guy looked at her like it’s Christmas day and he just received the best gift. “Y-yeah? Y-you’ll give it to me? But I don’t think I have a shot..”

“Aww.. Don’t sell yourself short.” Lilith smiled. “But, I won’t force you. Your call.” She winked surreptitiously at Ava.

“A-alright. I’ll give it a try..”

Lilith clasps her hands together and leans forward. “Alright. I’ll give you her number. But, for a price..” She gestures around the merchandise around her and whispered. “You see, I have a quota..”

The nerdy guy quickly scanned the shop, grabbed the nearest deck of trading cards and tossed it to his checkout pile. Lilith raised her eyebrows at him, hinting that he needed to add more. He took another deck of cards, two pop figures and a complete set of manga series, and looked at Lilith for approval.

Lilith smiled, scanned the items and handed the customer his purchases in a large recycled brown paper bag. She scribbled something at the back of the receipt before shoving it into the guy’s hand. “Don’t tell her where you got it, okay? Thank you for shopping with us.” Lilith said, faking a smile.

“Thank you uh..” The customer hesitated, looking for Lilith’s name tag.

Lilith just waved her hand in front of the guy, urging him to leave. “Run along now. We’re about to close.”

When the customer already left the shop, Ava looked at Lilith incredulously. “I can’t believe you’re scamming our clients! What the fuck Lilith!” Ava accused her. “And why the heck are you giving away Beatrice’s number like it’s some freakin’ freebie?” Ava, sounding angrier on the latter than former.

“Excuse me Ava. But I’m not scamming them.” Lilith defended herself. “I only asked if he wants her number, I didn’t specify whose number and I can not be held responsible for his own assumptions.”

“Lilith I swear you are such a sneaky devil..” Ava shook her head. “So you gave him a random one?”

Lilith snorted. “Oh please Ava. You know me better than that. I’ve actually been giving away Crimson’s number..”

“Pure evil. I expected nothing less..” Ava laughed loudly, proud of her friend’s impishness. “I got some great news! Dinner’s on the lady bosses and Mary even left us beer upstairs!”

--

After they closed the shop, Ava ordered dinner before leading them upstairs. She’d been living with Mary and Shannon, but doesn’t want to feel like a freeloader so she pays rent for her room. Lilith, who’s already familiar with Ava’s current set-up, already made herself at home and claimed her favorite makeshift chair.

Once they finished dinner, they shared a few cans of beer in the living room and occasionally making small talk. Lilith, meanwhile, ransacked the kitchen looking for something stronger to drink. “Hey Silva! Let’s open this.” She yelled from the kitchen when she found an unopened bottle of vodka, and got 4 shot glasses.

Excited to see Lilith’s find, Ava clapped her hands giddily and bounced happily in her seat. “Where did you find that?”

“At the topmost cupboard, which I doubt you’d be able to find, since you can’t reach it.” Lilith answered smugly, not wanting to miss an opportunity to insult Ava. She placed the bottle on top of the coffee table along with the shot glasses.

“I thought Mary said we can only have these.” Beatrice said, gesturing at the beer cans.

Lilith sighed, a little bit annoyed. “Don’t be rigid, Princess. I’ll replace it.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes in response while Camila eagerly suggested. “Let’s play a game!”

“Second that motion!” Ava immediately agreed, raising her hand in agreement. “What do you have in mind?”

Camila stroked her chin thoughtfully. “How about ‘Never have I ever’? I think it’s the perfect game for drinking shots.” She looks at the three girls, waiting for the others to agree. Camila wanted to get to know Lilith and hoped that in playing the game, she’d learn more about the taller girl.

Ava, having the same idea as Camila and wanting to know Beatrice better, agreed instantly. Both looking back at the other two who haven’t given their response yet.

“Something wrong with that game?” Camila asked sweetly while Ava waggled her eyebrows playfully at the other two.

Beatrice glanced at Lilith, who quickly averted her eyes and looked around the room, not keen on responding for the both of them. But Beatrice, having a soft spot for Camila and seeing Ava’s excitement for the game, shook her head and accepted with a heavy heart. “It’s okay, I guess. But on one condition, we don’t ask about the story.”

Lilith nodded approvingly. “I hate to admit it, but I agree. No digging up of the past.” Narrowing her eyes specifically at Ava.

Camila and Ava looked at each other and smiled, happy that their friends were able to compromise.

“Alrighty. Let’s get it started then!” Ava bounced giddily in her seat. “I’ll start with an easy one.”

Camila opened the bottle, filled each shot glass to the brim with the clear liquid and set it down in front of each girl.

“Never have I ever gone skinny-dipping.” Ava and Camila laughed, thinking that none of them will drink. Surprisingly, the two uptight ladies hesitantly grabbed their glasses and quickly downed the shot.

“Whaaaaat…” Camila muttered under her while Ava gaped at them open-mouthed.

Beatrice looked away as Lilith raised an eyebrow at Ava. “Remember, no further expounding on the story.”

“How could you not tell me about that? Now I’m curious! We shouldn’t have agreed on that! Fuck rules!” Ava pouted.

Before Ava opens her mouth again, Beatrice quietly clears her throat. “I’ll go next.” Beatrice said. “Never have I ever.. climbed out of a window?” She shrugged at such an easy question, just so they could move on from the previous one.

Ava and Camila gamely took their glasses, clinked it together before taking the shot.

“I’d be utterly surprised if you didn’t drink, Ava.” Lilith laughed.

Ava rolled her eyes at her and playfully stuck her tongue out before refilling all the empty glasses.

Beatrice, a bit shocked with Camila, carefully studied the curly-haired girl. “Really Cam?”

“I’m not as good as you think I am Bea.” Camila gave her a devious smile and a wink. “I’ll go next.”

A few more rounds with more than half of the contents of the bottle gone, most of them were already passed out cold.

First one down was Lilith, who was already sleeping soundly with her head on Camila’s lap, legs stretched out occupying the whole couch. Camila, in a sitting position, with her head resting at the back of the couch while her hand was gently perched on Lilith’s head. Meanwhile, Beatrice was found sleeping on the floor right next to the sofa, curled up on her side.

Ava, the lone survivor who was already half-asleep and shit-faced, found herself gazing longingly at Beatrice's sleeping face for a while.

Oh God, look at that face! Damn she’s so alluring. Holy shit! Alluring? Must be reeeaallyy drunk right now I’m using words like that. I think I could kiss her right now and she won’t even know.. Motherfu—Ava Silva you perve, get a grip. I want to take a closer look. No, bad Ava! Ah fuck you conscience, I just want a closer look..

Ava quietly stood up and tiptoed her way, albeit rather slowly, towards the sleeping girl. She crouched down and smiled as she gingerly tucked loose strands of hair behind Beatrice’s ear, before finally deciding to lay down next to her.

Ava turned onto her side to face Beatrice, only inches away from the sleeping girl’s lips. Do I dare? Blood hell! This is bad. I’m starting to sound like Lilith. Jeez! Maybe I won’t even remember shit when I wake up..

Ava moved closer, closing the gap even further.

She is fast asleep. I don’t think she’d know.. Probably won’t even feel a thing..

With that in mind, Ava kissed Beatrice’s lips softly and was completely surprised when she felt she was being kissed back. Unfortunately, she had blacked out before her mind could process what was happening.

------------

Lilith groaned loudly as she woke up with a slight headache, before she felt a soft unfamiliar hand gently touch her on the cheeks.

“Good morning, Lilith.” She looked up and saw Camila smiling, looking down at her.

Realizing she had used Camila’s lap as a pillow, Lilith immediately sat up. “G-good morning.” She paused, took a deep breath. “I-Uh.. Was I on your lap all night?” Eyes darting around guiltily except in Camila’s direction.

“Yep! Pretty much.” Camila responded chirpily.

Bloody hell! This is utterly mortifying! This is all me and can’t blame Silva on this one. Lilith, you are, by far, the biggest idiot right now. Well, next to Ava that is. Oh well.

“My sincerest apologies, Camila. You’re leg must’ve been cramping. I’m so sorry.” A meek apology was all she could muster as she shyly looked at the curly-haired girl.

“It’s okay Lil. I don’t mind.” The smaller girl replied still smiling, before pointing to the floor at the bodies. “I had a better and more comfortable position compared to those two.” On the floor was Beatrice, who was lying flat on her back with Ava’s arm wrapped around her torso. Ava, on the other hand, was resting her head on the ice queen’s shoulder and unmistakably drooling, as evidenced by the slight discoloration on Beatrice’s shirt.

Lilith, grinning mischievously, quickly pulled out her cellphone. “This. Is. Golden.” Quietly snickering while snapping several pictures of the two sleeping idiots.

Camila lightly tapped Lilith on the shoulder. “Send me copies please yeah?” She already had a lot of Ava’s embarrassing pictures but never a single one of Beatrice, and now she’s not going to let this opportunity slide. “Let’s grab some breakfast?”

Lilith nodded at Camila before gesturing towards the other two. “Aren’t we going to wake them up?”

“Nah. Let them sleep in. I’ll just order take-out.” Camila gave a dismissive wave in the air. She doesn’t know what came over her but a night on her lap made Lilith a little less scary for her. “Come on! I need my coffee.” She grabbed Lilith’s hands and helped her up, surprising even herself on her brashness.

After walking a few blocks and stopping by some local shops, they finally stopped outside a coffee shop with some tables arranged outside with vintage style umbrellas. Several pastries were already lined up inside the glass display cabinet at the counter. Camila was already taking mental notes on which ones to order while Lilith just wanted to get a glass of orange juice first to cure her hangover, before getting her cup of coffee.

“Hello ladies! It’s so nice to see you again. I thought you’d never come.”

The warm welcoming voice slightly startled the two, causing them to whip around to see who it was. They were quite surprised to see the lady from the other night - name tag read Gloria – giving them the brightest smile as she opened the door ushering them inside.

“Uhm actually we are no---“ Lilith started but Camila immediately cut her off. “Hey! Hi! It’s nice to see you too!” The smaller girl quickly wound her arm around Lilith’s and tugged her inside. The smell of roasted coffee and freshly baked pastries filled the air as they entered.

Gloria led them to a vacant table with posh leather seats near the window. “Got you the best table here. So, just sit back and relax. I’ll get you our bestselling breakfast combo, on the house.” She gave them a wink and left to punched order.

“Thank you Gloria!” Camila called behind her and Gloria smiled back in response. “Lucky for us! We’ll have free breakfast!”

Camila’s cheerfulness is contagious, but Lilith tried to remain in control of her emotions, so in response to the curly-haired girl, she just smiled. “I never thought that hitting a guy would lead us into getting a free meal.”

“Maybe you should do it more often.” Camila winked as she smiled coyly at the taller girl.

Lilith smiled at the joke. “Uhm, I can’t believe you enjoyed my driving though. Ava’s first instinct the moment she gets into the car with me is put on the seatbelt. She even brought a helmet with her once. A bloody helmet! In a car!”

Camila chuckled loudly. “Me too! I get the same reaction from Beatrice when she lets me drive, minus the helmet which would be a classic Ava move. One time, I caught Bea stepping on imaginary brakes on the passenger side.”

“Interesting.. I would never have thought that you were a speed junky.” Lilith nodded approvingly.

Camila grinned widely. “There’s this kind of thrill that I can’t explain, you know? Too bad we only get to drive fast on highways.”

Lilith cleared her throat and chewed on her lower lip while she seemed to be deep in thought. “What’s wrong?” Camila asked curiously.

“Uhm, I may, or may not, be attending a sanctioned drag race later tonight..” Lilith drawled, subtly gauging the curly-haired girl’s reaction. “If you want, you can come with.” She quickly added.

Camila’s eyes widened and was instantly filled with curiosity as she smiled brightly at Lilith. “What time?!”

--

While Beatrice was still sound asleep, Ava started to stir and wasn’t quite aware of her sleeping position. Her arm was still casually draped across Beatrice’s torso while her head was perched on the taller girl’s arm. Ava slowly sat up and sleepily wiped off her left cheek off of something wet, before completely realizing it was drool. Panic rushed through her as she looked down where she had slept, eyes now wide open and wishing the earth to open up and swallow her.

Ava! You drool monster! Can you be more embarrassing?! She quietly stood up and looked around in panic.

How the fuck am I going to weasel myself out of this?! She went to the bathroom to get the hair blower. Wait, the noise’ll wake her up dumbass. Shit. She hesitantly put it down and decided to go to her room to get a new shirt. Idiot! It would be weirder and extremely awkward if I changed her clothes. Motherf--

Ava instantly smelled coffee and food the moment the front door burst open, and Lilith strode inside while holding a brown paper bag. “Good God Lil! You’re here! Quick I need your help!” Ava hurried to Lilith’s side before looking behind the taller girl. “Where’s Waldo?” She whispered.

Lilith raised her eyebrow at the smaller girl and rolled her eyes. “She saw a friend and went to talk to her so I came up first.” She answered while setting the takeout food on the table. “Sooo..?” Folding her arm over her chest, gesturing at the sleeping girl on the floor. “I think I might have an inkling of what you did.”

“Wha-? How?!”

Lilith took her phone out of her jeans pocket and scrolled for a bit before showing the screen to Ava, who immediately tried to reach for the phone. But Lilith was fast enough to hold off Ava’s head an arm’s length away while extending her other arm so Ava can’t reach it. “Be a good girl or else I won’t help.”

Ava stopped flailing and pouted at her. “You are such an evil person, you know that?”

“Thank you. Now, do you want my help or not?” Lilith tilted her head and nonchalantly checked her perfectly-manicured nails.

Ava sighed. “Alright. What do I do?”

“Lie down again. Try to recreate the same position you were in.” Lilith smirked as she walked to the kitchen and got a glass half-filled with water. Ava did as told but did not lay her head just yet, scared that she might wake Beatrice up.

“You sure about this?” Ava whispered before lowering her head slowly as Lilith instructed.

Lilith chuckled before responding. “Yes, this will definitely work. Trust me.”

Once Ava’s head was resting on Beatrice’s arm again, she looked at her friend who was smiling deviously while still holding the glass of water. It was too late before she had fully realized Lilith’s plan before water was thrown to her face and Beatrice’s side.

Beatrice was jolted out of her sleep and quickly sat up the moment she felt wetness on her right side, from the side of her face down to her arm. She looked at Ava who unfortunately got her face drenched entirely, before narrowing her eyes at Lilith who was holding the now empty glass.

Lilith burst out laughing. “Hi. You’re welcome.” She said to Ava, who Is now dripping wet, before turning to Beatrice. “Good morning Princess. Camila got you coffee.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Was that really necessary?”

“Hmm.. Yes. It is, actually.” Lilith said dismissively before retreating back to the kitchen.

Beatrice was annoyed, as usual, by the whomping willow’s answer. She stood up and grabbed some paper towels from the nearby table and wiped herself while shaking her head. “I honestly don’t even know why you’re friends with her.” Making her voice loud enough for Lilith to hear her before handing Ava some paper towels.

Ava reached for it and slowly stood up to join Beatrice at the table. Since Lilith just saved her from a potentially humiliating situation, she decided to play it safe and just shrugged coolly. “Lilith sometimes has her.. moments. But she’s a good friend.” Ava smiled as she started to check the contents inside the paper bag before giving Beatrice a cup of coffee and a bagel.

“That’s quite hard to believe… Thank you.” Beatrice responded before taking a sip of the hot coffee. She stretched her right arm, tried to move it in a circular motion before gently massaging it as it felt sore. She thought it was probably because she had slept on the floor, when suddenly a thought crossed her mind. Lilith emptied the contents of the glass she was holding earlier at the both of them. Which meant.. Was Ava sleeping next to her?

“Hey guys! I’m back!” Camila said cheerily as she walked into the room and joined them on the table. “Sorry we didn’t wake you guys up while Lilith and I had breakfast.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for the breakfast Cam.” Beatrice replied to Camila. Ava just gave her a thumbs up and a grin, unable to talk since she she’s already shoved an entire bagel in her mouth. “Sorry, but can we go now? I wanted to take a shower first before I swing by Dr. Salvius’ office later.” She added while looking at her watch.

Camila nodded. “Yep. Sure thing. Plus, I think we’ve overstayed our welcome by sleeping over.”

Ava quickly chewed and swallowed before waving her hands at the two visitors. “No, you didn’t. You guys are welcome here. It was such a fun night and I think we should do it again. Soon!”

Beatrice gave her a smile. “Thank you Ava, again. It was fun indeed. Well, except for that untoward incident earlier though..” Walking towards the front door, while getting her things along the way.

Camila went to Ava and gave her a hug. “Yeah, let’s do this again real soon!” she looked at the kitchen area and gave Lilith a smile. “See you at later!”

“Uhm Camila, can you drive? My shoulder’s a bit sore.” Beatrice asked the curly-haired girl when they were already outside the door.

“Sure Bea. Better have that iced when we get home.” Camila giving Ava a mischievous look before closing the door behind them.

Ava knew she owed Lilith big time. She went to the kitchen and saw Lilith sipping on her coffee and not looking up. “Thank you… I hope I didn’t get you in trouble with Bea.”

“Please…” Lilith throws Ava an unamused look before gently blowing on her coffee and taking another sip “It’s not like I care about what she thinks.”

“Riiight..” Ava said with a smug look. “But you care about what Camila thinks..”

Lilith gave her a dagger look. She will not (no, never!) admit anything to Ava because she will never hear the end of it. She probably won’t shut up about how she was the one who introduced them to each other and how she is right that they would go well together. “Shut up Silva. At least I don’t drool over someone.” Lilith countered before heading back to the living room to retrieve her bag. “In your case, there’s literal drool involved.” She added before heading towards the door.

“Shut up Lilith! I have no control over those things y’know. I was sleeping for Christ’s sake. And delete the picture!”

“Not gonna happen Silva. Bye!” Lilith closed the door before Ava could even open her mouth.

--

It was already late when Beatrice left Arqtech. She wanted to do things as quickly as possible so that she could take rest of the day off, but one thing had led to another and before she knew it, she had already spent the entire afternoon working. While walking towards her car in the open parking lot, she heard someone yell from a few blocks away. “Come back here you little twerp!”

She looked on curiously as to who was chasing who, when a seemingly familiar brown-haired girl streaked past, with two guys from animal control in brown jumpsuits running after her. She hurriedly fished out her car keys and drove away, hoping to get to Ava first, and luckily, Beatrice was able to cut her off on the next block. “Ava! Get in!” She said as she reached to open passenger side door.

Ava, already out of breath, quickly jumped in and lowered her head to hide from her pursuers. Beatrice drove away and when they were far enough, she tapped Ava’s shoulder. “It’s okay now. I’ve managed to put some distance between us and the guys chasing you.”

“Thanks for saving me back there.” Ava replied breathlessly. She looked back warily, making sure that no truck was chasing them. Beatrice, without looking away from the road, took Ava’s hand and gave it a light squeeze before gently stroking her thumb across Ava’s knuckles to try to get her to relax.

After driving around for almost 15 minutes, Beatrice pulled over in front of a pharmacy. “I’ll be quick.” Beatrice said as she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and got off the car. Ava didn’t get a chance to protest so she just stayed in the car as she checked her left cheek which got cut earlier when she tripped and fell during her getaway.

After a few minutes, Beatrice returned to the car and started to rummage through the small paper bag before turning towards Ava. “Here, let me see that.”

“It’s just a scratch. No biggie.” Ava leaned away from the other girl, her other hand covered her left cheek while extending an arm to try and shoo Beatrice away.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Come here.” Beatrice demanded, motioning for Ava to come closer as she started to dab some water in a tissue paper. The other girl was still hesitant and refused to budge. “If you don’t come closer, I’m going to-- Would you rather I tie you up in that seat so that I can take a look at that cut in your face?”

“Yes ma’am! Coming closer right now.” Ava hesitantly removed her hand from her face and gingerly leaned closer so Beatrice could tend to her wound. The British girl started to wipe the area around the wound with the soaked tissue before replacing it with a new one and gently wiping the cut itself. “This might sting a little.” She said softly as she took out a small bottle of antiseptic, wetted another tissue with it before lightly dabbing it onto Ava’s wound.

Ava winced at the contact and Beatrice gave her an apologetic look. She almost forgot to breathe as the other girl leaned closer to her and started blowing gently on the wound. Beatrice continued dabbing the antiseptic and blowing her cheeks alternately before the British girl carefully tilted Ava’s face to check the other side for injuries. Ava’s mind goes blank and forgets that she’s already staring at the beauty in front of her. “Is something wrong?”

Wide-eyed, like a deer caught in headlights, Ava blinked a couple of times to jump start her brain and cleared her throat. “I.. ah.. yeah.. I mean, no! Nothing’s wrong.. Heh.”

“Alright.” Beatrice replied with a low laugh before putting a bandage in Ava’s face. “I think we’re done here. I pray that won’t leave a scar on your pretty face though.”

Ava grinned smugly. “Aww, you think I’m pretty?” Oh shit! Did I say that out loud? Thankfully, the moment was interrupted by the sound of her stomach grumbling before Beatrice could respond to her quip.

Beatrice smiled as she started the car again. “Let’s try and remedy that, shall we?”

“I know just the place!” Ava exclaimed, relieved that Beatrice didn’t bother to delve further on her earlier comment.

--

“I must say, I’m embarrassed to admit that this is the first time I’ve tried a hot dog from a cart.” Beatrice shyly admitted before taking another bite. “This is really good.”

Ava swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before asking. “Seriously? How? These guys are literally all over the city.”

Beatrice shakes her head as she crumples the wrapper and throws it inside the garbage bin. “I don’t know. I mean, when I see one, I always say to myself that I’ll be back and try one, but I never did.”

“Shame on you.” Ava teased her while finishing up her drink. They were sitting on one of the park’s wooden benches after buying their food to enjoy the city’s cool night breeze.

Beatrice laughed good-naturedly and started to feel that whenever she’s with Ava, she felt eons lighter, as if the world was put on pause and allowed her to “breathe”. This girl is a literal breath of fresh air. Beatrice smiled and wondered how the smaller girl can be so carefree and have this aura of sunshine, like having a halo’s light embedded on her back. “Ava, would you mind telling me why you were being chased earlier by those men?”

“I totally forgot about that. Yeah uhm they work at the local animal shelter.” Ava admitted, spending time with Beatrice already made her forget about the incident earlier and was in a better mood. “I was in the area to feed some strays when I heard those assholes talking about how they would sell half of the dogs in their truck and just bring half to the shelter.”

Ava started to feel agitated again but continued her story. “So I snuck behind their truck and released all the dogs inside. After seeing the dogs running past their truck and realizing what just happened, they chased me.” Ava retrieved her phone from her jeans pocket and showed Beatrice the video and pictures of the two men. “Tomorrow, Camila and I will report these scumbags to the shelter.”

Beatrice doesn’t see herself being caught up in that kind of situation, since she would never be in it in the first place, so she couldn’t help but admire Ava’s grit. Helping a charity organization for animals was one thing, but it’s a whole new different kind of dedication if you were willingly going around the city to feed strays. “That’s very brave of you.”

Ava gave a weak smile. “T-thanks. Other people would call it reckless, what I did back there. Lilith’ll probably say what I did was bloody moronic or just say I’m stupid.”

“You’re not stupid Ava. Reckless maybe, but just a little bit.” Beatrice softly chuckled.

Ava gave Beatrice’s shoulder a light smack. “Meanie.”

Beatrice started to relax and leaned further into the bench as she glanced up at the starry moonless night and sighed contentedly. After a pregnant pause, she let her gaze fall onto the park lights and passersby milling around slowly before she looked at the girl beside her. “So, which play were you on?”

Ava suddenly sat up, whipped her head around and raised her eyebrows. “Huh? Play? What Play?”

“The play you mentioned during class?” Beatrice asked curiously.

Ava scrunched her eyebrows together and tried to recall about what she had said and thought deeply. Play? I can barely memorize a line or quote or something. Huh. Oh shit! That play! “Uh yeah.. That play. It was.. nothing. Really. I was just blabbering some excuse because the teacher caught me daydreaming.”

“Well, you could’ve fooled me.” Beatrice laughed softly as she quietly observed Ava.

Ava laughed nervously as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually, to be completely honest, I’ve never seen an actual play.. yet. But if I do get the chance to watch one, I think it’d be awesome.”

“It is, actually.” Beatrice smiled and turned to face Ava. “Would you like to go to one? I mean, watch a play. With me. I believe there’s a good one coming up in a few weeks. I can get us tickets. If you want.”

Ava beamed. “Seriously? I would love that. Like a date?..” She added jokingly while waggling her eyebrows playfully.

Beatrice laughed at Ava’s joke and decided to play along. “Sure. It’s a date then.” Her phone starts to ring and frowns for a second after seeing the phone screen. “It’s my mother, I need to take this. Excuse me.”

Ava, still dumbfounded and shell-shocked that she got asked out on a “date” by the girl she’s been pining on for days?, nodded absentmindedly. “Y-yeah sure thing.”

The moment the surprise phone call ended, Beatrice seemed a bit anxious and quickly strode back to Ava. “There has been an untoward incident.. We need to go to the hospital right now.”

--

On the other side of the city, cars were all lined up as music from the speakers boomed noisily. Camila was like walking in her own personal candy land, eyes already heart-shaped and mentally drooling, naming all the car she sees with their respective model and year while wandering around looking for Lilith.

“Hi! This is so exciting!” Camila practically squeals while she bounced on her feet, eyes still gawking around tirelessly. Lilith coolly crosses her arms as she leans in her car. “Glad you think so.”

A loud garbled voice suddenly tries to speak over the noise, announcing that the race was about to start and that the drivers should get ready.

“Good Luck in the race.” Camila smiles at Lilith before softly patting the car’s hood. “I’ll just wait for you at the finish line.”

Lilith tilts her head and raised an eyebrow. “What? I thought you wanted to experience car racing? Aren’t you coming?” Camila’s eyes widen in disbelief. “You mean ride? In the car? With you? While on a freakin’ race? A-are you serious?”

“Of course. Unless you don’t want to..” Lilith smirks as she slowly opens her car door. “Say no more. I’d love too!” Camila practically scrambles to get to the other side and climbs inside and quickly buckles herself in. “I’m ready.” Lilith shakes her head and smiles as she gets in the car and starts the engine.

Cars were lined up at the starting line, engines constantly revved up, as the drivers made their last minute check-ups and adjustments. As soon as the girl holding the green flag took her spot in the middle of the road a few feet away from the starting line, Camila saw Lilith’s hand tighten her grip on the steering wheel. The race was only for fun, but Lilith enjoys a good adrenaline rush and a bit of competition, so when the flag was waved downwards, Lilith floored the gas pedal as the car’s tires screeched loudly. Camila was grinning widely as rush of excitement suddenly ran through her before she was jerked backward into the seat due to inertia.

During the first several minutes of racing, they were passing other cars effortlessly and making smooth turns. When all of a sudden, the car on the other lane a few yards ahead of them suddenly swerved to the left, after which a black cat appears out of nowhere and decides to stop right smack in the middle of the road. “Bloody moggy!” Lilith instinctively veered the car to the right to avoid the cat but unfortunately lost control of the vehicle and eventually fell into the ditch.

As water slowly trickled inside the vehicle, Lilith’s knuckles were turning white as she was still gripping hard the steering wheel, trying to avoid looking at her passenger in embarrassment. “A-are you okay Camila? I tried to avoid some cat back there.. I’m really really sorry about this.” Camila snorted before laughing out loud. “Are you kidding me? This is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to me! I haven’t had this much adrenaline rush since I hacked into some b--, yeah since I hacked into something, sometime ago.” Lilith started to relax and smiled as she tapped the steering wheel. “I usually drive fairly well and don’t drive straight into ditches. So I’m glad my passenger finds this first time ever mishap quite entertaining.”

They were giggling for a few minutes before Lilith started to notice that the water inside was already waist-high deep, there was a growing number of onlookers and the distant sound of an ambulance can be heard. “I reckon we better get out of the car before we catch a cold or ultimately drown ourselves.” Camila, who was already fumbling with her seatbelt, apparently was having trouble unlatching it. “Uhm Lilith? I think this thing’s broken. Help please?” Lilith quickly got out of the car and waded towards the passenger side and opened the door. She leaned half of her body inside and started to work on the defective buckle while her other hand absent-mindedly grabbed onto something underneath the water for support. A few seconds into the situation, Camila starts to giggle as Lilith grunts while trying to pull the seat buckle out.

Lilith breathed a sigh of relief when she successfully unbuckled the seat belt after a few tries and held out her hand to help Camila out. “Care to explain why you were giggling like a schoolgirl back there?”

“I’m ticklish.” Camila grinned as Lilith looked at her dumbfounded, eyebrows raised. “You were giggling due to a faulty seatbelt?..”

“No silly. You were holding onto my leg earlier. I’m quite ticklish there.” Camila explained while laughing as Lilith’s face turned a shade of red. Oh shit. “Bloody hell. That was your leg? I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I-I wasn’t trying to make a pass at you or something.”

“It’s ok Lil. I know and it’s no problem at all.” Camila gently grabbed Lilith’s arm and smiled before an EMT started to usher her towards the nearest ambulance. “See you at the hospital.”

--

“They’re just here for further examination right? To make sure there’s nothing wrong with them? No concussion or broken bones or something?” Ava asked for the nth time as she got out of Beatrice’s car and as they were walking into the hospital’s main building.

Beatrice had received a phone call earlier from her mother, checking in on her because Lilith apparently got into a car accident. Normally she’d be happy to know that they care, but she’s knows for a fact that they were just making sure she wasn’t involved in any way and didn’t want any more scandal. News traveled faster when you share the same social circle, and Beatrice was just glad that their prior incident still hasn’t reached them. “Based on my parent’s tone, I think there’s nothing serious about it. I also got a text message from Camila too and she said that both of them are okay. So you don’t have to worry about it.”

Ava’s face was full of concern and worry and Beatrice wished she could just hug her to be able to comfort her. “The cat is safe too, in case you’re wondering. Lilith somehow managed to avoid it as mentioned by Camila.” She added, which got her a small smile from Ava.

As they were walking towards the outpatient wing of the hospital, Beatrice saw Lilith’s parents several feet away and panics internally. She didn’t want to deal with them, even a simple greeting would be a nightmare, so she frantically pushed Ava into a small space behind a pillar without fully realizing she was grabbing Ava’s breasts.

“Uhm, what are we doing?” Ava looks down and back up at Beatrice and clicks her tongue. “What are you doing?” Beatrice’s eyes widen. “Uhm..”

“What are you guys doing?” Camila asked from behind, a large towel around her shoulder. Beatrice quickly took her hands off of Ava’s boobs and awkwardly placed them on her hips. “Nothing.”

Ava quickly engulfs Camila in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.. and you’re wet. What the heck happened to you guys? Where’s Lilith? How is she? Is she okay?” She whirls Camila around to inspect her.

Camila smiled. “Yeah Lilith’s okay. We both are. Just some minor scratches and a few bruises. So long story short, we were in a race, which was the coolest thing ever by the way, Lilith avoided a cat and lost control of the car so we crashed into a ditch.”

“You had me worried back there when mother called me earlier about your accident.” Beatrice hugs Camila.

“I’m sorry. You guys don’t have to worry about us. We’re fine, really. Lilith’s car got most of the damage though. And I doubt we’ll be racing again anytime soon.” Camila shrugs wistfully.

Ava tilted her head as she looked at Camila and smiled mischievously. “Huh. You never told me you were a speed junkie.. So where’s our speed demon and apple of your eye Lilith?”

Camila's eyes widened as she blushed furiously. “Uhm, she uh, I think she’s talking to her parents right now… Have you met them?”

“No. Yes.” Ava and Bea answered in unison.

“Once. I was able to meet them in one of the parties that my parents hosted.” Beatrice clarified.

Ava shrugged nonchalantly and rolled her eyes. “..Lilith doesn’t want to introduce me to her parents.”

Camila furrowed her eyebrows. “But you guys are best friends.. She doesn’t because..? Is she em—”

Ava raised her hand as she cut off Camila. “Let me stop you right there.  SHE is embarrassed of HER parents. Not me, if that’s where I think you’re going.”

Camila laughed. “Actually, I was going for emotional.”

“Oh.” Ava laughed as she playfully shoved Camila.

“What are you guys doing here?”

They all looked behind them and saw Lilith holding the same big towel as Camila as she walked towards the group. “We were worried, silly.” Ava quickly gave her a hug before the taller girl could put her arm out to stop her.

Lilith rolled her eyes at Ava but wore a smile on her face. “That’s rich, coming from you.”

“Shut up and hug me or I won’t let go.” Ava squeezed harder to thwart Lilith’s half-hearted attempts to free herself. To appease Ava, Lilith gave her friend a half-second hug before lightly tapping Ava’s shoulder, signaling her to let go. “Be careful next time alright?”

“Yes, mother.”

“If everyone is done with all the pleasantries, shall I drive us home?” Beatrice interjects, particularly to no one.

--

A few days later at the University gym, a girl’s voice can be heard loudly over the all the noise inside.

“Fake right JC! Fake right!” Ava yelled hard from the sideline, as she tried and coached JC during their basketball practice.

JC kept dribbling the ball and yelled back. “Ava, if you keep yelling fake right, Randall will know I’m going to fake right.”

Ava rolled her eyes at him. “He doesn’t know where right is!”

JC laughed and took the opportunity to fake left, then quickly drove right and made his layup since Randall got distracted by Ava’s comment. He gave the ball to him and slapped him on the butt before facing Ava. “Come to our next game and do that again to the other team, alright?”

Ava raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

“They won’t do anything to you because you’re pretty.” JC grinned half, before he noticed a certain British girl looking around from the gym door. “Speaking of pretty.. what is her highness doing here? Maybe she’s looking for me.”

Ava turned and saw Beatrice at the entrance. “In your dreams JC.” Giving him a light slap in the face as she walks away to greet her ice queen.

As soon as their eyes met, Beatrice gave her a warm smile. “Hey! You looking for someone?” Ava greeted cheerily. After the incident at the hospital a few days ago, they have been sending each other text messages often and been exchanging occasional greetings around the campus but, for Ava, nothing beats talking face to face.

“Well, I was looking for you and Camila told me I’d find you here.” Beatrice said, rummaging through her bag and presenting her a piece of paper. “Here you go.”

“What’s this?” Ava asked, slowly reaching out and taking the folded piece of paper.

“I got us tickets for a play.” Beatrice smiled.

Ava could not hide her smile and excitement before looking at the ticket in her hand. “This is awesome! I can’t wait!” for our date, she wanted to add. It really didn’t matter what they did, she just wanted to spend time with Beatrice and had been looking for theater tickets these past few days.

“It’s Phantom of the Opera, a classic. I hope you’d like that.” Beatrice said, excitement is obvious in her voice as well.

“I only saw the movie and it was great. So I’m pretty sure this will be awesome.” Ava replied, gathering enough courage. I should invite her for a snack, right? “Uhm.. Do you---“

A brunette girl cut her off and linked her arm with Beatrice’s. “Come on! You said you’ll just drop off the ticket.” When the brunette noticed Ava, she held her hand out to shake and gave her a polite smile. “Sorry, that was rude. I’m Teresa.”

Ava shook her hand confusedly and was focused entirely on their linked arms. “H-hi, I’m Ava.” Who the fuck is she? And why is she all clingy with Beatrice? Does she even go here?

“My apologies about her Ava.” Beatrice hissed at Teresa. “She was supposed to be waiting at the parking lot.”

“Hey! I waited for, like, three whole minutes okay? That’s a looong time to wait y’know.” Teresa raised both her hands in defense.

Beatrice rolled her eyes and ignored her. “Again, my apologies about her. I’ll see you soon, yes?” She smiled at Ava.

“Yeah, soon.” Waving the ticket in her hands with a smile.

“Nice meeting you Ava! Bye!” Teresa bid her farewell and as she dragged Beatrice away with her.

As they walked away from Ava, they continued their inaudible discussion with such familiarity akin to an old married couple. She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of their closeness and the ease of how she was able to drag Beatrice around.

Ava then felt a muscular arm drape around her shoulder. “Don’t worry about them, Ava. Your princess doesn’t like that brunette.”

“Shut up JC. I’m not worried.” Ava replied dismissively, before waving herself away. “I gotta go.”

--

“You are such a baby! Why are you in a bad mood just by that?” Lilith said, drinking the last sip of her wine. “You guys haven’t even gone out yet, idiot.”

Ava chugging down her beer. “I know that, Lil.”

“And yet here we are..” Lilith rolled her eyes at her friend as she waved her hand around Ava’s room. She was supposed to go check her car in the shop today, but when she got a text from Ava, she immediately changed all her plans for the day. An invite from Ava to drink clearly meant something was up.

“I got you wine, didn’t I?” Ava pouted as she mercilessly kept scratching at the beer bottle’s label.

“Uh-huh. A cheap one at that. You know--”

“They don’t sell Pinot Noir at the convenience store.”

Lilith raised her eyebrows in amusement and smiled. “My my, someone’s a bit grumpy today.”

“Sorry. It’s just that.. I don’t know..” Ava trailed off, sadness obvious from her voice before grabbing another bottle of beer. “Cami told me that Beatrice is really looking forward to our theater date.”

“Can’t believe she likes those stuff. Maybe I should give her a piece of my mind tomorrow.” Lilith said as she narrowed her eyes menacingly. She didn’t like seeing Ava sad, unless she was the cause of it.

Ava’s phone vibrated and saw Camila’s name, she reached for it as she took a big swig of her drink. As soon as she opened the message, she spewed her drink all over Lilith. “Bea saw our picture sleeping in Cam’s phone!”

Lilith slowly wiped her face and gave Ava dagger looks. “I would’ve strangled you, but I think you’ve already paid the price.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. It’s your fault to begin with. Taking that stupid picture.”

“And now we’re even.” Lilith replied before she wrinkled her nose because of the sticky feeling from Ava’s beer. “So are you going to be okay? I really need to go home and do something.”

“Uh-huh.." Ava muffled her answer as she buried her face in a pillow, wanting the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

“But first things first, I’m going to need to use your shower before going home.” She added before getting a towel in one of the drawers and disappearing into the bathroom.

Ava, still buried in her pillow, tried to get herself together. Am I jealous? Fuck, I am. Why would I be? We’re not even dating yet. But it’s already set, so does that count? Maybe they’re just cousins? Then she heard a faint knock on the front door. Who could that be? Mary and Shannon have keys. I definitely didn’t order food or anything. She lazily climbed off her bed and trudged to the door.

Ava didn’t bother looking through the peephole, opened the door and found her British crush carrying a box of pizza. “Beatrice! What are you doing here?”

“I felt really bad earlier so I thought I’d bring you some pizza?” She smiled as she offered the box to Ava.

Ava slowly took the box and opened the door to invite her in. “Wow, thanks. You didn’t have too, really. Come on in!”

“It’s the least I could do.” Beatrice said as she went inside and stopped in the middle of the room when she heard the shower on. “You have company? Is Professor Shannon here?”

“Shannon? Nope not yet. She’s still at the store with Mary.” Ava looked at her guest curiously as she set the pizza box down at the table. “Did you need anything from her?”

Beatrice shrugged. “Not really. I heard the shower was on, I just assumed you had a guest or something.”

Before Ava could even open her mouth, Beatrice’s ears perked up the moment the unmistakable intimidating voice from the shower spoke up. “Ava! Get my phone and book me a cab. Hurry, I’m almost done!”

Fuck! I totally forgot about Lilith! This is not good! Ava grabbed Lilith’s phone and quickly took Beatrice’s hand in panic and dragged her inside her room and closed the door. “Sorry about this!” She quietly scrolled through her friend’s phone, typed quickly and put it inside her pocket.

“Ava, what’s going on?” Beatrice asked confusedly while somewhat trying to remain calm. Ava’s eyes darted around the room, before looking under the bed then opening her closet.

“Yes!” Ava mentally did a fist-pump and hastily pushed her clothes to the side to make room, before looking back at Beatrice.

A wide-eyed Beatrice knew exactly what Ava’s plan was, so she slowly inched her way back to the door while shaking her head. “No Ava! Whatever it is you’re planning, I’ll leave you to it now. And besides, I didn’t really plan on staying.”

“Ava?” Lilith’s voice echoed more clearly inside the house, signaling that she’s already stepped out of the shower.

Ava took both Beatrice’s arms, and looked her in the eyes. “No time! I promise you I’ll explain everything later. But right now, Lilith can not see you.” She ushered her to the open closet and shrugged apologetically.

“Wait! Ava! No—“ Beatrice protested but Ava had already shoved her inside.

Ava heard Beatrice yelp right before Lilith walked in. She quickly shut the closet and blocked it with her body then turned to face Lilith with her innocent smile as she handed Lilith back her phone. “How’s the shower?”

Lilith raised her eyebrow while drying her wet hair with a towel. “Stop being Ava, Ava. Did you order pizza?”

“Ah, yeah.. that pizza..“ Ava cleared her throat as she scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Well.."

Lilith just rolled her eyes and walked past Ava and took her bag. “Well, don’t finish the whole box by yourself, alright.” She quickly scrolled through her phone before checking the time until her ride arrived. “Good thing the cab’s almost here. Are you sure you’re going to be okay alone? We can do a video call instead later.”

“I’m okay now, honestly. You don’t have to worry ‘bout me.” Ava smiled reassuringly, secretly hoping her best friend would take a hint and just go home.

Lilith gave her a light kiss on her cheek and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Call me if you need anything, alright? If you want me to punch the daylights out of Beatrice, just tell me. Actually, I don’t need any reason to do that.”

Ava laughed. This was one of the many reasons why Ava loved her best friend. She could be mean to her, but she was fiercely loyal and would go to hell and back to protect her. “Thank you Lil. Send me a text me when you get home. Be safe, okay?”

“You got it. Laters.” Lilith waved her goodbye before closing the door after her.

When Ava made sure that Lilith had indeed left, she dashed back to the closet and opened it. She found Beatrice sitting uncomfortably amongst her things, with her chin resting on her palm, giving Ava a blank stare.

Ava tried her best not to laugh and instead offered her hand while showing off her cutest smile. Beatrice hesitated at first but eventually took Ava’s hand and wobbled out of the closet. “You better have a good explanation for shoving me in there Ava.”

“I think I do, but first..” Ava gestured for her guest to sit on the bed. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll just go get the pizza and drinks.” She added quickly before scurrying outside.

Beatrice sighed while looking around Ava’s room. It was relatively smaller compared to her own room but felt very cozy and everything screamed Ava. She was still looking around when she remembered hearing Lilith’s voice while on her short stint inside the closet. Why would Ava hide her though? She and Lilith were not the best of friends, but they can be civil enough.

Ava came back a few minutes later, holding the pizza box with two small plates and mugs on top of it. “Here we go.” Carefully setting everything on the bed before unceremoniously plopping down beside Beatrice.

“Thank you. So, Ava..” Beatrice took a small bite off her pizza before continuing. “Care to explain why Lilith wanted to punch me? And without needing a reason at that.”

Ava felt her cheeks burning as she mercilessly kept pulling at a loose thread in her Spiderman bedsheet. “Ha! Funny story.. and very embarrassing at that.”

“Does it have anything to do with that sleeping photo of us?” Beatrice reached for a paper towel and wiped her mouth before tilting her head at Ava, who just kept quiet and looked at Beatrice. “To be honest, I thought it was really cute. Well, right before Lilith got us drenched.”

Ava sighed in relief which amused Beatrice.

“Whew! That’s good to hear. I was thinking about adding that to my list of ‘things to explain’ to you y'know.”

“So anyway..” Ava took a deep breath before sitting up straight and turned her body so that she was facing Beatrice. Fuck. This is it. I’m telling her how I really feel.

“Okay, so I feel really embarrassed about this, but I felt really bummed out earlier and Lilith was just being overprotective as always.”

Beatrice smiled and gently nodded for Ava to continue. “May I know why?”

“I-I kinda got jealous.. and sad. Just seeing how close you were with…” Ava trailed off as she looked anywhere else except at the girl in front of her.

“…with Teresa? You were jealous?” Beatrice gently took both Ava’s hands and intertwined their fingers. “Ava, look at me.”

“I-I know I’m not supposed to.. feel jealous or anything.. since we’re not, you know..” Ava cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, but I—"

“I like you Ava.” Beatrice said, effectively cutting off the other girl’s rambling. “I’m sorry if I gave you a reason to feel that way, but Teresa is just Teresa. She’s touchy. A bit, yes. And clingy as well, but that’s all there is to it. She’s just a friend. Plus, I’m really looking forward to our date this weekend.”

Oh. W-wait, what? Oh. Oh.

Ava didn’t blink nor moved a muscle after hearing Beatrice’s admission, and ultimately zoned out after ‘I like you Ava’ even as the other girl had already started waving her hand in front of her face. “Ava? Are you there?”

Ava shook her head before grinning widely at Beatrice. “Yeah, sorry. I did not hear anything else after you said that you liked me.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes fondly at Ava and gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “Well, I was hoping for a favorable response to my conf—”

“I like you too Bea. I really really like you. Like a lot. A whole fucking lot y’know?”

“Glad to hear that..” Beatrice smirked as she slowly leaned in and closed the gap between them. “Oh, and Ava?..” Beatrice trailed off as Ava hummed in response. “Maybe next time when you try to steal a kiss from me, make sure I’m really asleep.”

“Fuck! You were awake when I kissed you?” Ava whined. “Shit! Nothing gets past you huh?”

Beatrice nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders as she playful grabs a fistful of Ava’s shirt and pulls her near. “What are you going to do about it, Ava?”

Ava smirked and simply waggled her eyebrows mischievously. Tentatively, she closed the gap between them, eyes darting nervously from dark brown eyes to the British girl’s lips and back up again. The moment she felt Beatrice’s warm breath and their lips touched, Ava’s eyes fluttered close. Time seemed to stop as they shared the chaste kiss. She felt warm and tingly and giddy all over.

Ava reluctantly broke the kiss, slowly eased back and gently licked her lips. “That. Just that.”

Beatrice smiled teasingly. “Well, the ‘sleep kiss’ seems a lot better..”

Ava smiled sheepishly, unable to hide the redness in her cheeks. “Really? Uhm, do you, maybe, wanna try that again?..”

“I’m not entirely opposed to that idea.”

Ava then, ever so gently, cups Beatrice’s face, kisses her again, slightly longer and deeper than the first (or second).

Ava sighed contentedly as she looked at Beatrice. “Better?”

Beatrice rolled her eyes at her. “Ava Silva, you talk too much..” Her fingers curled around Ava’s waist, pulled her in and kissed her again. And again.