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The air smelled of roses and warm vanilla, a soft floral scent lingering under the open canopy of twinkling lights. The wedding was set in the gardens of a grand estate, the kind that looked like it had been pulled straight out of a romance novel- tall, ivory pillars framing the entrance, vines creeping up the stone walls, and a sprawling fountain in the middle of the courtyard where guests gathered, drinks in hand. It was an evening affair, and the sky was slipping into hues of deep lavender and soft indigo, a perfect backdrop for a perfect love story.
Dame and Kam had outdone themselves. The ceremony had been intimate and beautiful, Dame in an elegant white suit, crisp and tailored to perfection, Kam in a flowing gown that shimmered under the setting sun. Their vows had been personal, raw, full of the kind of love that made even the most skeptical guests believe in forever. Y/N had sat near the back, watching as Dame took Kam’s hands in hers, voice steady but eyes glistening with emotion.
"You’ve been my best friend, my heart, my home," Dame had said, voice thick with emotion. "And today, I promise to be yours for the rest of our lives."
Kam had smiled so brightly it was like the sun itself had landed in her chest. "You’ve always been my safe place," she’d whispered. "My love, my first and last choice."
The words had settled deep into Y/N’s chest, leaving her feeling both full and hollow at the same time. She was happy for them, of course she was. But weddings had a way of making past heartbreaks feel fresh again, especially when you were attending alone.
Now, at the reception, everything sparkled. Golden candlelight flickered against the glassware, and the soft hum of music filled the air. There was laughter, the occasional clinking of glasses as people toasted the brides, and the steady rhythm of feet against the dance floor as the celebration stretched into the night.
Y/N took a sip of her champagne, standing at the edge of the crowd. She wasn’t much of a dancer, not unless she was a few more drinks in, but she enjoyed watching, Dame and Kam swaying together, their hands clasped tight, friends spinning each other around, the sheer joy of it all. She let herself breathe in the happiness around her, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in her chest.
And then- her stomach clenched.
Across the reception hall, near the bar, she saw her.
Paloma.
Y/N’s breath caught in her throat, the flute of champagne suddenly too cold in her grip.
She hadn’t seen Paloma in- what, a year? Maybe more? They hadn’t ended on the best of terms. It wasn’t explosive, not a tragic, dramatic heartbreak. It was worse than that. It was the slow kind, the kind where things just stopped fitting, where words were left unsaid, where love faded into something unrecognizable until neither of them knew how to hold on anymore.
But God, Paloma still looked the same.
Hair slightly shorter but still that perfect, tousled wave. That confident stance, like she belonged wherever she was. Dressed in deep red, always her color, skin glowing in the candlelight. And she was smiling, her dimples deep, that easy, natural charm she always carried still intact.
Y/N’s stomach twisted.
Because Paloma wasn’t alone.
There was a girl beside her. Someone new. Someone beautiful.
Paloma laughed at something the girl said, reaching out to brush her fingers over her cheek, and it was like a slap to the chest.
Y/N forced herself to look away, jaw tightening.
She wouldn’t let it get to her.
She wouldn’t let Paloma see.
Y/N didn’t look. She wouldn’t look.
She turned toward the dance floor, pretending to be engrossed in the movement of the crowd, in the way Dame twirled Kam under the golden glow of the chandeliers. The music was loud, the laughter even louder, but none of it could drown out the sharp awareness prickling at the back of her neck.
Paloma was here. Paloma was close.
And then-
"Didn’t expect to see you here."
That voice.
Y/N’s stomach dropped.
Slowly, she turned, bracing herself. And there she was.
Paloma stood just a few feet away, head tilted slightly, lips curved in that half-smirk Y/N knew too well. The dim lighting caught in her auburn hair, turning it into something almost unreal- copper, fire, the color of something alive. She was still as effortlessly gorgeous as ever, still carried that quiet, magnetic confidence that had once pulled Y/N in so easily.
But now, there was distance. Now, there was something unfamiliar between them.
Y/N forced a breath, forced a smirk of her own. "Dame and Kam are my friends too," she said, keeping her voice even. "I had just as much reason to be invited as you did."
Paloma let out a soft chuckle. "Fair enough."
Her gaze flickered over Y/N, slow, assessing. And Y/N hated the way her skin warmed under it, hated the way her body still reacted like it hadn’t learned its lesson.
"You look good," Paloma said, casually, like it wasn’t a loaded statement.
Y/N ignored the way her pulse kicked up. "So do you." She glanced toward the bar, toward the girl, still lingering there, watching with polite curiosity. "You came with someone."
Paloma followed her gaze, then looked back, raising an eyebrow. "You jealous?"
Y/N scoffed before she could stop herself. "In your dreams."
Paloma hummed, amused. "You always did try to lie with a straight face."
It was dangerous, the way Paloma was looking at her. Like she was peeling her apart, finding the things Y/N was trying to hide and holding them up to the light. Like she still knew her.
Y/N exhaled sharply, forcing herself to stand taller. "Well," she said, clearing her throat, "enjoy your night."
She turned on her heel, heart pounding, but before she could disappear into the crowd, Paloma’s voice followed, soft and knowing.
"You never were good at walking away first."
Y/N didn’t turn back. Couldn’t.
Because she hated that Paloma was right.
Y/N pushed through the crowd, her heart hammering harder than it should have been. She didn’t know where she was going, just away. Away from Paloma’s gaze, away from the teasing lilt in her voice, away from the past clawing its way back to the surface.
The reception hall was buzzing, the music swelling as more people flooded the dance floor. She maneuvered past guests, ignoring the curious glances from old friends she hadn’t spoken to in months. Her skin felt too hot, her dress too tight, and she needed a second. Just one second.
Then she saw it, the bathrooms, tucked at the far end of the hall, past the gilded archway leading into a quieter corridor.
Perfect.
She slipped inside, exhaling as the door shut behind her. The space was elegant, all marble counters and gold-rimmed mirrors, with soft lighting that cast everything in a warm glow. A faint floral scent lingered in the air, something delicate and sweet.
Y/N stepped up to the sink, gripping the cool edge of the counter as she stared at her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed, her pulse thrumming at the base of her throat. She scowled at herself.
Get a grip.
It had been over for a long time. She had moved on. Paloma had moved on. So why did seeing her with someone else feel like a blade twisting between her ribs?
Y/N sucked in a breath, shaking her head. Maybe she just needed to freshen up, throw some cold water on her face, anything to stop the heat crawling up her neck-
The door creaked open.
She went still.
A second later, heels clicked against the tiled floor, slow, deliberate.
Y/N didn’t have to turn around to know who it was.
"Seriously?" she muttered, gripping the counter tighter.
Paloma’s voice was soft, amused. "You ran."
Y/N closed her eyes. "I walked."
Paloma let out a low chuckle. "Fast."
Y/N exhaled sharply through her nose, forcing herself to meet Paloma’s gaze in the mirror. "Why are you here?"
Paloma leaned against the doorframe, arms crossing over her chest. She looked infuriatingly at ease, like she wasn’t the one currently ruining Y/N’s night.
"You tell me," Paloma said, tilting her head. "You’re the one who bolted the second I showed up."
Y/N clenched her jaw. "I didn’t-“ She cut herself off, exhaling. "I just needed a minute."
Paloma hummed. "Funny. You never needed a minute before."
That was unfair. And they both knew it.
Y/N turned fully now, arms folding tight across her stomach. "Look, what do you want?"
Paloma took a slow step forward, and Y/N hated how the air in the room seemed to shift, how the space between them suddenly felt smaller.
"I don’t know," Paloma said, voice quieter now, laced with something unreadable. "Maybe I just wanted to see if you’d actually look me in the eye when you walked away this time."
Y/N’s breath hitched.
She wanted to snap something back, something sharp and cutting, but the words tangled in her throat.
Paloma’s gaze flickered over her face, searching, and for the first time that night, she wasn’t smirking.
Y/N swallowed hard.
And then, the door clicked shut behind them.
The silence stretched between them, thick and charged, the air humming with something Y/N didn’t want to name.
Paloma stood a few steps away, watching her in that quiet, knowing way that made Y/N feel like she was being stripped bare. She’d always hated that about Paloma. the way she could look at her and just know. Even now, after everything, after all the time that had passed, she still had that power.
Y/N swallowed, forcing herself to hold Paloma’s gaze. "You shouldn’t be here."
Paloma raised a brow. "And yet, here I am."
Y/N exhaled sharply, gripping the counter behind her. "What do you want from me, Paloma? You come in here, follow me, start acting like- like you still-“ She cut herself off, shaking her head. "You don’t get to do this."
Paloma didn’t answer right away. Instead, she stepped forward, slow and deliberate, her red dress swaying with the movement.
Y/N should have stepped back. But she didn’t.
"You think I don’t still feel it?" Paloma said, voice low. "Because I do, Y/N. I feel it every time I look at you."
Y/N’s breath caught. "Don’t."
Paloma ignored her. "I didn’t come here tonight expecting to see you," she continued. "But the second I did-“ She let out a small, frustrated laugh, running a hand through her auburn hair. "God. It’s like no time has passed at all."
Y/N’s heart was pounding, her grip tightening on the counter as if it could hold her steady. "That’s not true."
Paloma tilted her head, studying her. "Isn’t it?"
Y/N didn’t answer. She couldn’t.
Because it was true.
It didn’t matter how much time had passed, how much she had told herself she was over it, over her. The second she had locked eyes with Paloma across that room, she had felt it. That pull. That deep, aching thing inside her chest that had never really gone away.
And from the way Paloma was looking at her now, Y/N knew she felt it too.
Paloma took another step closer, so close now that Y/N could smell the faint trace of her perfume, warm, familiar, dizzying.
"You’re lying to yourself," Paloma murmured.
Y/N clenched her jaw. "And you’re being selfish."
"Maybe." Paloma didn’t deny it. "But at least I’m being honest."
Y/N let out a slow, shaky breath. "It doesn’t matter. We’re not- we can’t just-"
Paloma reached out then, her fingers barely brushing Y/N’s wrist, but it was enough to make Y/N’s skin burn.
"Come with me," Paloma said.
Y/N blinked. "What?"
"Come with me," Paloma repeated, her voice steady, certain. "Let’s get out of here. Just you and me. We don’t owe anyone an explanation."
Y/N’s heart was racing now, her thoughts tangled. "Paloma-“
"Come back to my place," Paloma interrupted. "With me. Please."
Y/N’s mouth was dry. This was dangerous. This was reckless. This was exactly the kind of thing she should be running from.
She glanced toward the door, toward the girl Paloma had come with, and something sharp twisted in her chest. "What about her?" she asked, forcing herself to sound indifferent.
Paloma didn’t even glance back. Her eyes stayed on Y/N, steady and unwavering.
"She doesn’t matter," Paloma said simply.
Y/N’s pulse jumped.
Y/N’s mind was at war with itself.
She knew the right choice, the safe choice. She knew she should shake her head, walk out of this bathroom, return to the wedding, pretend this conversation had never happened. Paloma had already broken her heart once, and running off with her now would be the definition of reckless.
And yet-
Paloma’s eyes were still on her, burning, waiting, and Y/N could feel her pulse thudding in her ears, her body betraying her better judgment.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair how easy it was for Paloma to make her feel like this, like she was seventeen again, dizzy and breathless and completely, utterly consumed. It wasn’t fair how the years apart hadn’t dulled the pull between them, how Paloma could still make her crave something she had sworn she would never let herself want again.
Her rational side screamed at her to walk away. But another part of her, something deep, something raw, something that had never stopped aching for Paloma, was screaming even louder.
This was her chance.
Maybe it would be a mistake. Maybe it would end in heartbreak all over again. But right now, standing in this bathroom, with Paloma so close, her voice low and full of something dangerous, Y/N didn’t care.
She took a shaky breath, her fists clenching at her sides. "This is a terrible idea."
Paloma’s lips twitched into the ghost of a smirk. "Probably."
Y/N exhaled, and then, before she could talk herself out of it, she whispered, "Take me."
And then Paloma was on her.
Her lips crashed against Y/N’s with a force that stole the air from her lungs, a raw, desperate kiss that sent heat coursing through every inch of her body. Y/N barely had time to react before Paloma’s hands were on her, gripping her waist, pulling her closer like she had been starving for this.
Y/N melted.
Her hands found their way into Paloma’s fiery hair, tangling in the soft strands, and Paloma let out a low, pleased hum against her lips. It was intoxicating—the taste of her, the feel of her, the way she kissed like she was trying to make up for every second they had spent apart.
Y/N pressed into her, kissing back with just as much desperation, just as much hunger. She had spent so long pretending she was over this, over her—but now, with Paloma pressed against her, her lips moving with perfect familiarity, Y/N realized she had never stood a chance.
Paloma deepened the kiss, her teeth grazing Y/N’s lower lip, and Y/N shuddered, gripping her tighter. It was too much, too good, too overwhelming. The world outside of this bathroom didn’t exist- there was only this, only them, only the way their bodies molded together like they had been made for this.
Paloma pulled back just enough to look at her, her breath warm against Y/N’s lips, her green eyes dark with something unreadable.
"Still think this is a terrible idea?" she murmured.
Y/N could barely think at all. "Shut up."
Paloma grinned, and before Y/N could catch her breath, Paloma’s arms swept under her, lifting her into the air effortlessly.
Y/N let out a startled gasp as she was cradled against Paloma’s chest, her arms instinctively wrapping around her neck. "What the-“
Paloma hushed her with a playful smirk. "Hold on tight."
Y/N barely had time to process before Paloma turned toward the door, pushing it open just enough to peek outside. The hallway was mostly empty, the wedding guests too busy celebrating to notice anything amiss.
Paloma moved swiftly, stepping out with Y/N still in her arms, her grip firm but careful.
Y/N’s heart hammered wildly, half from the kiss, half from the sheer insanity of what they were doing.
Paloma smirked down at her. "Told you I’d swoop you away."
Y/N tightened her grip around Paloma’s shoulders as they slipped into the night.
The cool night air hit them as soon as they slipped outside, but Y/N barely noticed. Her head was spinning, her heart racing, her lips still tingling from the force of Paloma’s kiss.
Paloma moved fast, her grip sure as she carried Y/N toward the parking lot. Y/N knew she should protest,knew she should at least pretend to be outraged that she was literally being swept off her feet, but she couldn’t bring herself to.
Not when Paloma was holding her so effortlessly. Not when her arms felt like home.
They reached the car in record time, Paloma’s signature red convertible gleaming under the soft glow of the streetlights. It looked the same as Y/N remembered, sleek, open-topped, the kind of car that turned heads wherever it went. Just like Paloma.
Paloma finally set her down, but not without a dramatic flourish. She tilted Y/N backward just slightly, making her feel like a heroine in some old Hollywood movie before gently, almost teasingly, dipping her into the passenger seat.
Y/N let out a breathless laugh, her fingers curling against the leather. "You’re ridiculous."
Paloma smirked, one hand braced on the doorframe, her face hovering just inches from Y/N’s. "You love it."
Y/N opened her mouth to argue, but then Paloma kissed her again.
Hard.
It wasn’t gentle, wasn’t soft, this was hunger, pure and undeniable. The second their lips met, Y/N was drowning, her hands reaching up to grip the front of Paloma’s dress, pulling her closer.
Paloma kissed like she had something to prove, like she was making up for lost time. Her hands cupped Y/N’s face, fingers tangling in her hair, tilting her head just enough to deepen the kiss.
Y/N let herself sink into it. Let herself get lost in the way Paloma tasted, in the way her lips moved so perfectly against hers. She forgot where they were, forgot the world outside this car, forgot everything except the sheer, dizzying need pouring between them.
Paloma pulled away just enough to whisper against her lips, "Still think I don’t matter to you?"
Y/N’s breath hitched.
Paloma didn’t wait for an answer. She kissed her again, slower this time, more deliberate, her lips pressing deep and certain against Y/N’s.
By the time she finally pulled back, Y/N was breathless, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Paloma grinned, her thumb brushing Y/N’s cheek before she stepped back.
"Sit tight, sweetheart," she murmured before moving around to the driver’s side.
Y/N barely had time to process before the engine roared to life, a smooth, familiar sound that sent a thrill through her chest.
Paloma shot her a sideways glance, her smile almost wicked, and then-
They were off.
The car sped down the road, the wind whipping through Y/N’s hair, the city lights blurring past them. The wedding, the guests, the carefully constructed life she had built without Paloma- it all faded into the background.
Because right now, none of it mattered.
Right now, she was with her.
And she didn’t want to be anywhere else.