Work Text:
Megan had absolutely no reason to be in the library again.
Like, academically? She was fine. Passing everything. Barely studying, but still pulling decent grades. She could’ve been anywhere else—scrolling TikTok, rotting in bed, pretending to do homework at a café—but no. Here she was. Again. Same aisle. Same section. Same painfully obvious, suspiciously specific corner of the library.
The sexuality section.
She wasn’t even looking at the books. Not really. She kept picking one up, reading the back like it was written in another language, then putting it back down five seconds later. Her hands were clammy. Her brain was running at 200mph.
You’re being normal. This is normal. People read books. About… stuff. Educational stuff. You’re literally just learning. You’re so chill.
She was not chill.
Megan adjusted her hoodie sleeves for the fiftieth time and inched sideways, pretending to scan the shelf. What she was actually doing was checking her peripheral vision every two seconds.
Because Dani worked here.
Dani, who shelved books like she was in a coming-of-age movie montage. Dani, who somehow made a library lanyard look like a fashion statement. Dani, who had smiled at Megan exactly three weeks ago when she asked where the printers were, and Megan had been emotionally compromised ever since.
This was Megan’s fourth visit this week.
Fourth.
She didn’t even own a printer.
“Okay, this is getting sad.”
Megan froze.
That voice? Yeah. Of course. Of course the universe hated her.
She turned slowly, like she was in a horror movie, except the monster was just… Dani. Leaning against the end of the shelf, arms crossed, eyebrow slightly raised, looking amused.
“Uh—what is?” Megan said, instantly forgetting how to exist.
Dani tilted her head toward the shelf Megan had been aggressively not reading. “You. Hovering. You’ve been in this exact spot for, like… ten minutes. You good?”
“I’m—yeah. Totally. I’m just—” Megan grabbed the nearest book and held it up like evidence. “Reading.”
Dani glanced at the book cover, then back at Megan. “You’re holding it upside down.”
Megan looked down.
It was, in fact, upside down.
“Okay, wow,” she muttered, flipping it quickly. “That was… a test.”
“A test.”
“Yeah. To see if anyone was paying attention.”
Dani smiled, and it was actually unfair how nice it was. “Mhm. And did anyone pass?”
Megan swallowed. “You did.”
Great. Fantastic. Smooth. She was absolutely nailing this.
There was a pause. Not awkward on Dani’s side—she seemed perfectly comfortable—but Megan felt like she might dissolve into dust.
“So,” Dani said, softer now, nodding toward the shelf again, “you looking for something specific? Or just… vibing in this extremely specific genre section?”
Megan’s brain short-circuited.
Say something normal. Say something casual. Do not confess your entire life story.
“I—um. I just—like—books,” she said, which was possibly the worst sentence ever constructed.
Dani let out a quiet laugh. Not mean. Just… amused. “Bold take. In a library.”
Megan pressed her lips together, already regretting every decision that had led her here. Which was all of them.
Dani uncrossed her arms and stepped a little closer, lowering her voice like they were sharing a secret. “Hey. It’s okay, you know.”
Megan blinked. “What is?”
“Being curious. Or confused. Or whatever’s going on up here.” Dani tapped her own temple lightly. “You don’t have to pretend you’re here for, like, academic research or something.”
Megan stared at her.
Because that… was not what she had expected.
“I’m not—confused,” Megan said quickly, even though her voice did that annoying shaky thing. “I just—”
Have had a crush on you for, like, months and keep coming back here hoping you’ll talk to me again.
“I just like the library,” she finished, weakly.
Dani didn’t call her out. Which somehow made it worse.
Instead, she nodded, like she understood something Megan hadn’t actually said out loud.
“Okay,” Dani said. “Well. If you were looking for something… less intimidating than staring at random shelves, I could help.”
Megan’s heart did a weird, traitorous flip.
“You’d… help?”
“I do work here,” Dani said, gesturing to her lanyard. “Kinda my whole thing.”
“Right. Yeah. Obviously.”
Another pause. But this one felt… different. Softer.
Megan shifted her weight, staring very intently at the spine of a book she wasn’t reading. “What kind of help?”
Dani leaned slightly closer, just enough that Megan could smell her shampoo, which was distracting in a way that should honestly be illegal.
“Well,” Dani said, “you could tell me what you’re actually looking for.”
Megan let out a quiet, nervous laugh. “That’s the problem. I don’t… know.”
Dani studied her for a second. Not in a weird way. Just… patient.
“Okay,” she said finally. “Then we figure it out together.”
Megan looked up.
“Together?”
“Yeah.” Dani smiled again, softer this time. “You keep coming back here, so clearly something’s up. And I don’t think it’s just your sudden passion for… upside-down books.”
Megan felt her face heat up. “You noticed that?”
“Megan,” Dani said, and—oh. Oh no. She knew her name. “I’ve noticed you every time.”
Megan’s brain completely stopped working.
“Every… time?”
Dani shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “You’re kinda hard to miss.”
There was a beat of silence where Megan just… stood there, processing that information like it might explode.
“Okay,” Megan said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “So what now?”
Dani tilted her head toward the end of the aisle. “Now? You stop hiding in the most stressful section of the library, and I show you some actually good stuff. Low pressure. No weird vibes.”
Megan hesitated for exactly half a second.
Then she nodded.
“Okay. Yeah. That sounds… good.”
Dani stepped back, giving her space, but still smiling. “Cool. C’mon, nervous library girl.”
Megan groaned. “Please don’t call me that.”
“No promises.”
And as Megan followed her out of the aisle, heart still racing but for a slightly different reason now, she realized something important.
She might still be awkward. Still nervous. Still very much a loser.
But at least now?
She wasn’t standing alone in the wrong section anymore.
-
Megan immediately regretted agreeing to this.
Not in a dramatic, life-altering way. Just in the very specific, very real *oh my god I’m about to be perceived too closely by the girl I’ve been in love with for months* kind of way.
Dani walked like she owned the place—which, okay, she kind of did—and Megan trailed half a step behind, trying not to look like a lost NPC.
“So,” Dani said casually, glancing back at her, “we’re gonna start you off easy.”
“Easy sounds good,” Megan said quickly. “I love easy. Big fan.”
Dani hummed, stopping in front of another shelf. “Mhm. Yeah. I can tell.”
Megan frowned slightly. “What’s that supposed to—”
Dani pulled out a book and turned around, holding it up.
Megan read the title.
Paused.
Then immediately looked away like the cover might burn her.
“Oh my god,” she whispered. “You did not just grab that.”
“What?” Dani said innocently. “It’s educational.”
“It’s—” Megan gestured vaguely, refusing to look at it again. “It’s not that educational.”
Dani flipped it over, scanning the back. “Says here it’s a ‘comprehensive guide.’ Sounds pretty educational to me.”
Megan could feel her entire soul trying to exit her body. “I don’t need a comprehensive guide.”
Dani raised an eyebrow. “No?”
“No,” Megan said, way too fast. “I’m good. I’m fine. I’m—set.”
Dani slowly lowered the book, clearly not buying a single word. “Right. Because you definitely weren’t lurking in that aisle like you were about to glitch through the floor.”
Megan groaned. “Can you stop bringing that up?”
“No,” Dani said simply, then reached for another book. “Ooo, this one’s even better.”
“Dani—”
Too late.
She held it up.
Megan stared at the cover for half a second before physically turning around and covering her face with her hands. Heated Rivalry.
“I hate you,” she mumbled.
Dani laughed, and it was way too pleased. “You don’t even know what it says.”
“I don’t need to. I can feel it.”
“Okay, fair,” Dani admitted. “But for the record, this one’s very… specific.”
Megan peeked through her fingers. “I don’t want specific!”
“See, I think you do,” Dani said, stepping a little closer. “I think you came all the way back there because you dont want vague.”
Megan dropped her hands, flustered. “I did not come here for—this!”
“Then what did you come for?”
Megan opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Because, yeah. There wasn’t a normal answer to that.
Dani watched her for a second, then her expression shifted—still teasing, but a little more curious now.
“Okay, real question,” she said. “Have you ever… actually been with a girl before?”
Megan choked on absolutely nothing. “WHAT—?”
“Relax,” Dani said, laughing. “I’m just asking.”
“No one has ever asked me that in a library,” Megan said, voice high-pitched.
“First time for everything.”
Megan stared at the floor. “No.”
Dani tilted her head. “No?”
“No,” Megan repeated, quieter.
There was a tiny pause.
“…Have you been with anyone?” Dani added, a little softer but still very much Dani.
Megan felt like she might evaporate.
“No,” she said again, barely audible.
Dani blinked.
Not in a judgmental way. Just… processing.
Then, slowly, a small smirk came back.
“Wow,” she said. “So you really are just out here raw-dogging the confusion.”
Megan made a noise that wasn’t quite human. “Oh my god, can you NOT phrase it like that—”
“I’m just saying,” Dani continued, clearly enjoying this way too much, “you’ve got zero experience, you’ve been haunting the sexuality section all week, and you dress like you’re trying to become invisible—”
“Okay, WOW,” Megan cut in, face burning. “That is so rude.”
Dani glanced at her hoodie, then back at her. “It’s not rude if it’s accurate.”
“I am not trying to be invisible.”
“Megan,” Dani said, gesturing at her oversized sleeves, her hunched posture, the way she kept avoiding eye contact, “you look like if I raised my voice slightly, you’d apologize and disappear into the carpet.”
Megan crossed her arms. “I would not.”
Dani leaned in just a little. “You literally apologized to a bookshelf earlier.”
“…It was in my way,” Megan muttered.
Dani laughed again, softer this time.
And then—because apparently she had no intention of letting Megan recover—she gently tapped the book still in her hand against Megan’s arm.
“Look,” she said, tone shifting just slightly. “I’m messing with you, but… you don’t have to be this weird about it.”
“I’m not weird,” Megan said automatically.
Dani gave her a look.
“…Okay, I’m a little weird,” Megan admitted.
“A little?” Dani teased.
“Shut up.”
Dani smiled, then set the more intense book aside and picked up a different one—still clearly about sexuality, but… less terrifying.
“Maybe we don’t start you off with, like, advanced level,” she said. “We go… beginner-friendly.”
Megan exhaled, relieved. “Thank you.”
“But,” Dani added, eyes glinting again, “I’m still not letting you off the hook.”
Megan narrowed her eyes. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” Dani said, handing her the book, their fingers brushing for half a second (which absolutely did not help Megan’s situation), “you’re gonna actually read something this time.”
Megan looked down at it, then back up. “And if I don’t?”
Dani shrugged. “Then I’ll just have to keep picking books for you.”
Megan paused.
“…The embarrassing ones?” she asked cautiously.
Dani smiled.
“The very embarrassing ones.”
Megan sighed, clutching the book to her chest like it might protect her dignity.
“Okay,” she said. “Fine. I’ll read it.”
“Good.”
There was a small pause.
Then Dani added, casually, “And maybe next time, you can tell me what you’re actually looking for.”
Megan hesitated.
Looked at her.
Then quickly looked away again.
“…Maybe,” she said.
Dani didn’t push.
But the way she smiled?
Yeah.
She already knew.
-
Megan had been pacing outside the library for twelve minutes.
Twelve.
She checked her phone. No new notifications. Not that she was expecting any—she just needed something to do with her hands that wasn’t, like, aggressively spiraling.
“Okay,” she muttered to herself. “You’re just going to walk in, find Dani, and ask a normal question like a normal person.”
She paused.
“…What is a normal person question?”
Her brain, unhelpfully: Hey. So. Do you want to go on a date with me? I’ve been obsessed with you for months and I once made eye contact with you and had to sit down.
“Yeah, no,” Megan whispered. “We’re not saying that.”
She took a deep breath, shoved her hands into her hoodie sleeves (obviously), and walked in.
Immediately, the smell of books hit her—and with it, the very real memory of every embarrassing interaction she’d had here in the past week.
The upside-down book.
The books Dani had shown her.
The question.
Have you ever been with anyone?
Megan physically shook her head like she could reset her brain. “Focus,” she whispered.
Step one: find Dani.
Step two: don’t pass out.
Step three: somehow form a sentence that doesn’t make her sound like a malfunctioning robot.
Easy.
Totally easy.
She walked past the front desk, trying to look casual, like she wasn’t scanning every corner like a nervous animal.
And then—
“Oh,” a familiar voice said. “You’re back.”
Megan stopped so abruptly she almost tripped over her own foot.
Dani was behind the desk today, leaning on her elbows, looking directly at her with that same I see everything expression.
Megan’s brain immediately clocked out.
“Hi,” she said.
Good start.
Short. Simple. Manageable.
“Hi,” Dani echoed, a small smile forming. “Lemme guess. You’ve come to apologize to more furniture?”
Megan groaned. “Can you please let that go?”
“Absolutely not.”
Megan walked up to the desk, every step feeling like it was being broadcast in 4K. “I don’t do that regularly.”
“Mhm.”
“I don’t.”
“Sure.”
Megan exhaled through her nose. “You’re so annoying.”
“And yet,” Dani said, tilting her head, “you keep coming back.”
Megan froze.
Because. Yeah.
That was… kind of the whole problem.
“I like the library,” she said weakly.
Dani didn’t even pretend to believe that this time.
Instead, she just watched Megan for a second, like she was waiting for something.
Megan felt it—that moment. The one where she either said what she came here to say…
Or chickened out and grabbed a random book about, like, medieval architecture.
Her hands were already starting to fidget.
Say it. Just say it. You literally came here for this. Don’t be weird. Actually—you are weird. But like—productive weird.
“Um,” Megan started.
Dani raised an eyebrow slightly. “Um?”
“Yeah. Um.” Megan swallowed. “I—uh—I had a question.”
“Shocking.”
“Can you—please—just—” Megan gestured helplessly.
“Okay, okay,” Dani laughed softly. “Go on.”
Megan stared at the desk.
Then at her shoes.
Then briefly at Dani before immediately looking away again.
“I was just—like—I was wondering if—” she started, then stopped. “Wait. No. That sounded bad.”
Dani rested her chin in her hand, clearly entertained. “You’re doing great so far.”
“I’m not,” Megan said. “This is going horribly.”
“Take your time.”
“That’s the problem, I’ve been taking my time for, like, a week.”
Dani blinked. “A week?”
Megan’s eyes widened. “Not—I didn’t mean—like—not specifically—”
Dani smiled a little, softer now. “Megan.”
Megan shut up immediately.
Dani leaned forward just slightly. “What are you trying to ask me?”
Megan’s heart was going insane. Like actually concerning levels of fast.
Just say it. Worst case scenario, you die. But like—socially. Probably.
“Do you—” Megan started.
Stopped.
Closed her eyes for half a second like she was about to jump off a cliff.
“Do you want to go out with me?” she blurted.
Silence.
Actual, real silence.
Megan opened one eye.
Dani was staring at her.
Not laughing. Not teasing. Just… looking at her.
Megan panicked.
“I mean—not like—out out—unless—you know—I mean like—just—like—a thing—like coffee—or not coffee if you don’t like coffee—I don’t even know if you like coffee—” Megan was fully unraveling now. “It can be something else. Like tea. Or—juice? People drink juice. That’s normal. I can do juice.”
Dani’s lips twitched.
Megan kept going. Because of course she did.
“And it doesn’t have to be, like, a date-date. It can just be—like—two people—existing—near each other—voluntarily—outside of a library—”
“Megan.”
She stopped.
Immediately.
Dani was smiling now. Not the teasing one. Something… softer.
“You’re rambling,” she said gently.
“Yeah,” Megan said. “I do that when I’m—” she cut herself off. “Anyway.”
Dani leaned back slightly, crossing her arms.
Megan braced herself.
Because this was it. This was the moment where Dani laughed and said something like you’re cute but no thanks and Megan had to move to another city out of embarrassment.
“You’re really nervous,” Dani said instead.
Megan let out a weak laugh. “Yeah. Just a bit.”
“Why?”
Megan stared at her.
Because… seriously?
“Because it’s you,” she said, before she could stop herself.
And yeah. There it was. The truth. Just… fully out there now.
Dani’s expression shifted again. Subtle, but real.
“Me?” she repeated.
Megan nodded, immediately regretting everything. “You’re—like—cool. And confident. And you make fun of me constantly—”
“I do,” Dani admitted.
“—and I’m…” Megan gestured vaguely at herself. “This.”
Dani looked her up and down.
Hoodie. Nervous posture. Hands half-hidden in sleeves.
“Yeah,” Dani said. “You are this.”
Megan groaned. “See? This is why this was a bad idea—”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.”
Megan stopped.
“…You didn’t?”
Dani shook her head, a small smile forming again. “No.”
There was a pause.
Megan’s brain was struggling to catch up.
“So… is that a yes?” she asked, cautiously.
Dani tilted her head, pretending to think.
“Hmm,” she said. “I don’t know.”
Megan’s stomach dropped. “Oh.”
Dani watched her for a second longer.
Then—
“Depends.”
Megan blinked. “On what?”
Dani leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting with that familiar teasing energy again.
“Are you gonna actually talk on this date,” she said, “or am I gonna have to interrogate you the whole time like I did in the library?”
Megan huffed a nervous laugh. “I can talk.”
“Really?”
“…Eventually.”
Dani laughed.
Then, finally—
“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll go out with you.”
Megan froze.
“Wait—actually?”
“Yeah. Actual date. Not just… ‘two people drinking juice awkwardly.’”
Megan let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.
“Oh,” she said. “Okay. Cool. That’s—cool.”
“Wow,” Dani said. “You’re really selling this.”
“Shut up,” Megan muttered, but she was smiling now.
Dani grabbed a pen from the desk and slid a scrap of paper toward her. “Write your number, loser.”
Megan’s heart did that thing again.
But this time?
She didn’t feel like disappearing.
“Okay,” she said, picking up the pen.
-
Megan showed up ten minutes early.
Which was a mistake.
Because now she had ten full minutes to stand outside the café and rethink every life decision she’d ever made, including—but not limited to—asking Dani out, existing in general, and wearing the hoodie she’d already tugged down over her hands at least twelve times.
“This is fine,” she whispered to herself, staring at her reflection in the window. “You’re fine. You’re normal. You’re not going to embarrass yourself.”
A beat.
“…You’re definitely going to embarrass yourself.”
She groaned quietly and turned away from the glass.
The plan was simple: Dani shows up, Megan says hi without voice-cracking, they sit down, have a normal conversation, and Megan does not accidentally confess something unhinged.
Simple.
Easy.
Achievable.
“Hey.”
Megan nearly jumped out of her skin.
She turned so fast she almost lost her balance—and there Dani was, hands in her jacket pockets, looking way too effortlessly cool for someone who had just caused Megan’s soul to briefly leave her body.
“Oh my—hi,” Megan said, immediately tripping over the word.
Dani smirked. “Relax. I didn’t sneak up on you on purpose.”
“You absolutely did.”
“Okay, a little.”
Megan huffed, trying to play it off, but her hands were already fidgeting again. “You’re late.”
“I’m two minutes late.”
“That’s still late.”
“And you’re ten minutes early,” Dani shot back. “Which is way worse.”
“…I like being prepared.”
“You like panicking in advance.”
“…That too.”
Dani smiled, softer this time. “C’mon. Let’s go inside before you spiral completely.”
“I’m not spiraling,” Megan said, already spiraling.
They walked in together, and Megan became hyper-aware of everything—how close they were, how Dani’s shoulder brushed hers for half a second, how loud her own heartbeat felt.
They ordered drinks—Megan barely remembered what she asked for—and then sat down at a small table by the window.
And then.
Silence.
Not a terrible silence. Just… one that felt very loud in Megan’s head.
Say something. Literally anything. Do not just sit here like a decorative object.
“So,” Megan said.
Dani raised an eyebrow. “So?”
“Yeah. So.” Megan nodded, like that meant something.
Dani leaned back slightly, clearly amused. “Strong opening.”
“I’m doing my best.”
“I can tell.”
Megan groaned softly, dragging her sleeve over her hand. “This is already going badly.”
“It’s not,” Dani said. “You’re just… you.”
“That’s the problem.”
Dani shook her head, smiling a little. “You’re so dramatic.”
Megan opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again, because she had no comeback that wouldn’t somehow make things worse.
Dani watched her for a second, then—like she was flipping a switch—changed direction.
“So,” she said casually, “what do you actually do when you’re not haunting libraries?”
Megan blinked. “What?”
“Like—hobbies. Interests. Secret double life. Hit me.”
Megan hesitated.
Because most of her interests were… not exactly cool.
“I—um. I play games,” she admitted.
Dani perked up slightly. “Yeah?”
Megan nodded, a little more confidently. “Yeah. Like—video games. Mostly.”
“What kind?”
And something shifted.
It was small at first. Just a tiny crack in the wall of anxiety that Megan had built around herself.
“I mean—uh—lots,” she said. “RPGs, mostly. Open-world stuff. I like anything where you can just… get lost in it.”
Dani leaned forward a bit, actually interested. “Any favorites?”
Megan hesitated for half a second—
Then it was over.
“Okay, wait, no, because there’s this one game—” she started, hands coming out of her sleeves as she talked, “—and the storyline is insane, like actually insane, and the characters are so well-written, and you can make choices that change everything—like not in a fake way, but actually—”
Dani smiled.
Because yeah.
There it was.
Megan kept going, words coming faster now. “—and the world-building is just—like—you can tell they put so much detail into it, like even random NPCs have backstories, and—”
She stopped suddenly.
Because she realized she had been talking.
A lot.
And not stuttering.
And not overthinking every single word.
“…I’m rambling again,” she said, a little quieter.
Dani shook her head. “No. You’re not.”
Megan blinked. “I’m not?”
“You’re excited,” Dani said simply. “It’s different.”
Megan stared at her.
Because… yeah.
It did feel different.
“I just—really like it,” she admitted.
“I can tell,” Dani said, smiling. “You should talk like that more.”
Megan huffed a small laugh. “Only about video games, apparently.”
“Hey, I’ll take it.”
There was a pause—but this one felt… easy.
Megan leaned back slightly, her shoulders less tense now. “Do you play anything?”
“Not as much as you, clearly,” Dani said. “But yeah, sometimes.”
“Okay, but like—what kind?”
Dani shrugged. “Stuff that doesn’t require me to think too hard after work.”
Megan gasped softly. “Fake gamer.”
“Wow.”
“I’m kidding,” Megan said quickly, smiling. “Mostly.”
Dani laughed, shaking her head. “You’re bold now, huh?”
“Only a little.”
“Good,” Dani said. “I like it.”
Megan’s heart did that thing again—but it wasn’t overwhelming this time. Just… warm.
They kept talking. About games, about random things, about school, about nothing important and everything at the same time.
And for the first time?
Megan wasn’t counting every second.
She wasn’t overthinking every sentence.
She was just… there.
With Dani.
Eventually, the sky outside started to darken, and the café got quieter.
Megan glanced at the window. “I didn’t realize how long we’ve been here.”
“Yeah,” Dani said. “Time flies when you’re not apologizing to furniture.”
Megan rolled her eyes. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
They stood up, throwing away their cups, and walked outside together.
It was cooler now. Quieter.
Megan’s nerves crept back in a little—but softer this time. Manageable.
They stopped just outside the café.
“Well,” Megan said, rocking slightly on her heels. “That was… not a disaster.”
Dani laughed softly. “High praise.”
“I mean, I didn’t die, so.”
“Low bar.”
“Hey, I’m working with what I’ve got.”
Dani stepped a little closer.
Not a lot.
Just enough.
Megan’s breath caught slightly.
“Oh,” she said, very intelligently.
Dani tilted her head, watching her. “You’re getting nervous again.”
“A little,” Megan admitted.
“Why?”
Megan let out a quiet laugh. “Do you really need to ask?”
Dani smiled.
Then, gently—very gently—she reached out and tugged lightly at the sleeve of Megan’s hoodie.
“Hey,” she said. “You did good today.”
Megan blinked. “I did?”
“Yeah.” Dani’s voice was softer now. “You talked. You didn’t apologize to anything. Big improvement.”
Megan smiled, a little shy. “Thanks.”
There was a pause.
A quiet one.
The kind that felt… full.
Megan’s heart started picking up again, but not in that overwhelming, panicky way from before. Just… anticipation.
Dani looked at her for a second longer.
Then leaned in.
Slow enough that Megan had time to panic—
Oh my god this is happening oh my god do something normal do not be weird do not—
And then Dani kissed her.
And Megan’s brain?
Gone.
Just completely gone.
Because Dani’s hand came up, lightly brushing against her jaw, steadying her—and the kiss wasn’t just quick or hesitant.
It lingered.
Soft at first—testing, almost—but then deeper, more certain.
Megan made a small, surprised sound into it, her hands hovering awkwardly for half a second before finally settling—one gripping the edge of Dani’s jacket, the other still half-lost in her sleeve.
Dani didn’t pull away.
If anything, she leaned in closer, her thumb brushing lightly against Megan’s cheek as the kiss deepened just a little more—still gentle, but not shy anymore.
And Megan—
Megan actually kissed her back.
Not perfectly. Not smoothly.
But real.
A little messy. A little breathless.
But real.
Time did that weird thing where it stretched out, like everything else just… paused.
Until, eventually, Dani pulled back.
Not far.
Just enough.
Megan blinked, dazed.
“…Oh,” she said again.
Dani smiled, softer than Megan had ever seen.
“Yeah,” she said.
Megan let out a shaky laugh, her face definitely on fire. “Okay. Cool. That was—cool. Very cool. Normal. I’m being normal about it.”
“You’re doing great,” Dani said, clearly amused.
Megan covered her face for a second. “Oh my god.”
Dani gently pulled her hands down. “Hey.”
Megan looked at her.
“You didn’t disappear,” Dani said.
Megan blinked.
“…I didn’t.”
“Yeah.” Dani smiled. “Told you.”
Megan huffed a quiet laugh, still a little breathless. “Okay. Yeah. Maybe you were right.”
“I usually am.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.”
They stood there for another moment.
Close.
Comfortable.
And for once?
Megan didn’t feel like running.
“Same time next week?” Dani asked.
Megan smiled.
“Yeah,” she said. “Same time.”