Not Alone Tonight
Beth woke up to a pounding headache, the kind that made her regret every single drink she’d had the night before. She groaned, rubbing a hand over her face as she blinked against the dim light filtering through the hotel curtains.
Unfortunately, the headache wasn’t the worst part.
She remembered everything.
Every word. Every look. The way Viv had stared at her, unreadable yet saying everything at once. The way she had walked away, leaving Beth standing there with the weight of something she still didn’t know how to name.
Beth let out a frustrated sigh, grabbing her phone to check the time. Shit. Breakfast was almost over.
Dragging herself out of bed, she got ready as quickly as her pounding head would allow, throwing on a hoodie and some joggers before heading downstairs.
She was moving on autopilot, still half in a daze, still lost in last night’s conversation, when she stepped toward the elevator. As the doors slid open, her stomach dropped.
Viv.
Alone.
Standing there, hands in the pockets of her hoodie, looking down at the floor like she was anywhere but in that tiny, enclosed space.
Beth hesitated—for half a second, maybe less.
She could take the stairs. She could pretend she forgot something. She could do anything other than step into that elevator.
But that would be too much, too obvious, too cowardly, and Beth wasn’t a coward.
So, she stepped inside.
The doors closed.
Silence.
Beth couldn’t bring herself to look at Viv.
Her head was pounding, her brain still waking up, her body still catching up to the mess she had made last night.
But then, out of nowhere—Viv’s voice, quiet but firm.
“Yes.”
Beth frowned, turning her head slightly. “What?”
Viv wasn’t looking at her. She was still staring ahead, arms crossed, jaw tight, like she was forcing the words out.
“To your question yesterday,” Viv said, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the soft hum of the elevator. “The answer is yes.”
Beth’s stomach twisted.
She blinked, her tired brain trying to catch up.
“I’m lost,” she said slowly.
Viv finally turned to face her.
For a second—**just a second—**Beth thought she saw something raw in her expression, something that looked too much like the truth they had both been avoiding.
Then Viv exhaled and gave her the answer she hadn’t been ready to hear.
“Yes, Beth,” Viv said, voice steady despite the way her fingers curled into her sleeves. “I was jealous.”
Beth’s lips parted, but before she could say anything, before she could react, before she could process what that meant, the elevator doors slid open.
Viv stepped out without looking back.
Beth didn’t move.
Beth woke up to a pounding headache, the kind that made her regret every single drink she’d had the night before. She groaned, rubbing a hand over her face as she blinked against the dim light filtering through the hotel curtains.
Unfortunately, the headache wasn’t the worst part.
She remembered everything.
Every word. Every look. The way Viv had stared at her, unreadable yet saying everything at once. The way she had walked away, leaving Beth standing there with the weight of something she still didn’t know how to name.
Beth let out a frustrated sigh, grabbing her phone to check the time. Shit. Breakfast was almost over.
Dragging herself out of bed, she got ready as quickly as her pounding head would allow, throwing on a hoodie and some joggers before heading downstairs.
She was moving on autopilot, still half in a daze, still lost in last night’s conversation, when she stepped toward the elevator. As the doors slid open, her stomach dropped.
Viv.
Alone.
Standing there, hands in the pockets of her hoodie, looking down at the floor like she was anywhere but in that tiny, enclosed space.
Beth hesitated—for half a second, maybe less.
She could take the stairs. She could pretend she forgot something. She could do anything other than step into that elevator.
But that would be too much, too obvious, too cowardly, and Beth wasn’t a coward.
So, she stepped inside.
The doors closed.
Silence.
Beth couldn’t bring herself to look at Viv.
Her head was pounding, her brain still waking up, her body still catching up to the mess she had made last night.
But then, out of nowhere—Viv’s voice, quiet but firm.
“Yes.”
Beth frowned, turning her head slightly. “What?”
Viv wasn’t looking at her. She was still staring ahead, arms crossed, jaw tight, like she was forcing the words out.
“To your question yesterday,” Viv said, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the soft hum of the elevator. “The answer is yes.”
Beth’s stomach twisted.
She blinked, her tired brain trying to catch up.
“I’m lost,” she said slowly.
Viv finally turned to face her.
For a second—**just a second—**Beth thought she saw something raw in her expression, something that looked too much like the truth they had both been avoiding.
Then Viv exhaled and gave her the answer she hadn’t been ready to hear.
“Yes, Beth,” Viv said, voice steady despite the way her fingers curled into her sleeves. “I was jealous.”
Beth’s lips parted, but before she could say anything, before she could react, before she could process what that meant, the elevator doors slid open.
Viv stepped out without looking back.
Beth didn’t move.
Beth had gone through an entire day in a haze, but no one seemed to notice.
At breakfast, she sat with Leah and Steph, pushing food around on her plate, barely listening to the conversation. At one point, she heard Jen laughing about something, probably a joke she usually would have joined in on, but her mind wasn’t there.
It was stuck in that elevator.
Yes, Beth. I was jealous.
The words kept replaying, over and over, looping like some cruel song she couldn’t turn off.
The bus ride to the airport was silent torture. Beth sat by the window, earbuds in but with no music playing, staring out at the blur of buildings, pretending like she was anywhere but inside her own head.
On the plane, she tried to sleep. Failed miserably.
Instead, she spent two hours staring at the screen in front of her, watching some random in-flight movie she wasn’t actually paying attention to. Every few minutes, her eyes drifted—toward Viv, toward the row where she was sitting, toward the one person who had managed to make Beth feel like her entire world had flipped upside down in the span of a single word.
Yes.
Even in the car ride home from the airport, it didn’t stop.
The team was chatting about the game, about the next match, about where they should go for dinner tomorrow night. Beth nodded along, even smiled at the right moments, but the whole time, she felt disconnected, detached—like she wasn’t really there.
Like she was still stuck in that elevator, waiting for Viv to say something else, waiting for her to take it back, waiting for her to do anything other than walk away.
But Viv had walked away.
And Beth had let her.
By the time she got to her apartment, Beth was exhausted. Not just physically but mentally.
She dropped her bag by the door, kicked off her shoes, and went straight to the couch, sinking into the cushions, staring at the ceiling.
She couldn’t keep doing this.
She couldn’t keep running circles in her head, pretending like she wasn’t thinking about it every second, pretending like she wasn’t dying to know what it meant.
Beth exhaled slowly, rubbing her hands over her face, before finally reaching for her phone.
Her fingers hovered over the screen for a second, just long enough for doubt to creep in.
Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she typed out a message.
BETH: Can we talk?
She hit send before she could overthink it.
The second the message delivered, her stomach twisted.
Beth stared at her phone, heart hammering.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Her screen stayed blank.
No reply.
Beth exhaled sharply, tossing her phone onto the coffee table before she could drive herself insane watching it.
She leaned back against the couch, hands gripping the edge of her hoodie, foot tapping anxiously against the floor.
And now, she waited.
Beth sat on her couch, arms crossed, staring at her phone like it might magically change if she just willed it hard enough.
Still nothing.
Half an hour had passed, and Viv hadn’t responded—not even the usual double blue checkmarks to indicate she’d read it. Beth had checked twice already, just to be sure. It had delivered. No issues, no technical glitches, no excuse.
Viv had simply chosen not to reply.
Beth hated that. Hated the waiting, the silence stretching longer than she could handle.
Maybe Viv was ignoring her on purpose. Maybe she regretted saying it in the first place. Maybe she had never meant it at all.
The thought made Beth’s chest tighten, frustration curling hot in her stomach.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed her keys and pushed herself off the couch. She was done waiting.
The drive to Viv’s house was quick but excruciating.
At every stoplight, Beth seriously considered turning back, her fingers gripping the steering wheel a little too tight.
She could just go home, forget she sent the text, pretend like none of this mattered. But the thing was—it did.
More than she wanted to admit.
By the time she pulled up outside Viv’s house, she had so much nervous energy buzzing through her that she barely remembered turning off the ignition before she was at the door, knocking before she could hesitate.
The door swung open, and there was Viv—barefoot, in an oversized hoodie and shorts, looking at her with an expression that was both surprised and slightly confused.
Beth’s heart did something stupid in her chest, but she ignored it.
“Beth?” Viv’s voice was laced with confusion, her brows slightly lifted as she took in Beth’s presence.
Beth let out a breath, forcing herself to act like she hadn’t just driven across town over a single text message.
“You didn’t answer,” she said, the words coming out before she could think them through. Great start.
Viv blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Oh—uh.” She glanced behind her, as if trying to gather her thoughts. “Sorry, I didn’t see it. I was just… cleaning.”
Beth stared.
Cleaning.
Her eyes flickered past Viv’s shoulder, scanning the interior of the house that was—of course—perfectly spotless, just as it always was.
Right.
Viv was too neat for there to have been any real mess to clean up in the first place.
Beth suddenly felt like the biggest idiot alive.
She had just shown up at Viv’s house, unannounced, over a text message that Viv hadn’t even seen yet, and now she was standing here like some kind of lunatic demanding answers.
She cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her neck as her face heated in embarrassment. “Right. Yeah. Of course. Cleaning.” She let out a short, awkward laugh, shifting her weight. “That… makes sense.”
Viv just looked at her, her expression unreadable.
“…Did you need something?” she asked after a moment, voice softer now, less guarded.
Beth hesitated, swallowing down the instinct to brush it off and retreat.
Instead, she exhaled slowly, forcing herself to look Viv in the eyes.
“I just—” She exhaled again, shaking her head slightly. “I can’t stop thinking about what you said yesterday.”
Viv visibly tensed, but she didn’t interrupt.
Beth shifted again, hands shoved deep into the pocket of her hoodie like she wanted to disappear inside it. “And I just… I wanted to apologize,” she continued, her voice a little quieter now. “I shouldn’t have cornered you like that. It wasn’t fair.”
Viv’s lips parted slightly, like she was about to say something, but then she stopped herself.
Beth took a breath, her heart hammering uncomfortably hard.
“I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable,” she added, and it was the truth. She never wanted Viv to feel like that. “I just—I don’t know. I got caught up in it, and I pushed too much.”
Viv still hadn’t said anything.
She was just watching her now, carefully, like she was trying to figure out what Beth was really here for.
Beth could feel the tension settling thick in the air between them, heavy with all the things she still wasn’t saying.
For a split second, she thought Viv was going to tell her to leave.
Instead, after a long moment, Viv sighed, stepped back, and gestured toward the door.
“…You might as well come in.”
The silence between them stretched, heavier than Beth had expected.
Viv stood a few feet away, arms still crossed over her chest, her weight shifting slightly—not in a defensive way, but like she wasn’t quite sure how to stand, how to exist in this moment. Beth had never seen her like this. Not in all the years they’d known each other.
Beth exhaled slowly, scratching at the sleeve of her hoodie, trying to ignore how awkward she suddenly felt. “Look, I—I didn’t mean to corner you last night. I wasn’t trying to make things weird.”
Viv let out a breath, tucking her lower lip between her teeth for a second before nodding. “I know.”
Beth hesitated, taking a small step forward. “But you were jealous.”
Viv’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Yeah,” she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I hate that I was.”
Beth blinked, not expecting that. “Why?”
Viv let out a soft, dry laugh, shaking her head slightly. “Because it’s stupid. Because I have no right to be.”
Beth tilted her head, watching her carefully. “You know that’s not true.”
Viv’s jaw tensed slightly, and for a second, Beth thought she wasn’t going to say anything else.
But then Viv inhaled deeply, her hands gripping the sleeves of her hoodie like she needed to ground herself.
“I just…” she started, hesitating. “Hearing about Claire like that, in the middle of dinner—like it was nothing—it just… I don’t know. It felt—”
She broke off, shaking her head, like she wasn’t sure she should even say it out loud.
Beth felt something twist in her chest, guilt creeping up her spine.
“Like a betrayal?” Beth offered, voice softer now.
Viv swallowed, nodding once. “Yeah,” she admitted. “And I know that’s not fair. I know we’re not—” She cut herself off, biting the inside of her cheek, clearly struggling. “I know I can’t feel like that, but I did. And it scared me.”
Beth’s stomach flipped.
Because she got it. God, did she get it.
She hesitated, rubbing a hand over her jaw. “You don’t have to be jealous, Viv.”
Viv’s eyes flickered up to meet hers, something hesitant in them. “I don’t?”
Beth shook her head. “No.”
Viv let out a breath, shifting slightly, like she was finally letting herself relax—just a little.
And then, after a moment of hesitation, Viv murmured, “Claire is very pretty.”
Beth froze, her brow furrowing slightly. “What?”
Viv immediately looked away, her ears going red.
Beth narrowed her eyes. “Wait. How do you know that?”
Viv shifted uncomfortably, clearing her throat.
Beth’s eyes widened as realization hit. “Oh my god.”
Viv’s shoulders visibly tensed.
Beth smirked. “You stalked her.”
Viv exhaled sharply, running a hand over her face. “I hate you.”
Beth let out a delighted laugh. “No way. When?”
Viv refused to answer.
Beth nudged her shoulder lightly, grinning. “Come on, Vivianne. When?”
Viv exhaled sharply, clearly miserable now. “Last night.”
Beth laughed harder, watching as Viv refused to make eye contact.
Before she could think better of it, Beth muttered, “Well, she’s not even as pretty as you.”
The second the words were out, Beth froze.
Viv’s head snapped up, her eyes wide, face somehow turning an even deeper shade of red.
Beth internally screamed at herself.
She had not meant to say that out loud.
She opened her mouth to say something—**anything—to fix it, but Viv just stood there, staring at her, completely stunned.
Like Beth had just changed something between them forever.
The tension in the room shifted, grew, thickened.
Beth swallowed, looking anywhere but at Viv’s very, very red face. “Uh.”
Viv still wasn’t speaking.
Beth cleared her throat. “I mean—”
Viv covered her face again.
Beth laughed, half out of nerves, half because this was the most flustered she had ever seen Viv in her life.
Viv groaned, shaking her head. “I hate you.”
Beth grinned, nudging her foot lightly. “No, you don’t.”
Viv mumbled something under her breath, still not making eye contact.
Beth smirked. “You really stalked her, huh?”
Viv peeked at her between her fingers. “Can you shut up?”
The laughter lingered between them, soft and easy, breaking apart the tension that had settled in the air just moments ago. Beth could still feel her pulse beating a little too fast, still feel the weight of what she had just admitted—what they had both admitted without really saying it.
Viv’s cheeks were still flushed pink, her hands tucked awkwardly into the sleeves of her hoodie like she wished she could disappear into them. Beth watched her for a moment, the way she was looking down now, avoiding eye contact as if she had just exposed too much.
Beth exhaled, biting the inside of her cheek. She needed to say something real now.
“We’re not ready for something serious.”
She said it carefully, testing the words, watching Viv’s reaction.
Viv lifted her gaze slowly, her expression open, understanding, like she’d already come to the same conclusion. She nodded. “Yeah.”
Beth nodded too, relieved but also slightly terrified by how much this moment mattered.
Viv hesitated, shifting slightly before she spoke again, her voice softer this time. “But I know I like you.”
Beth’s breath hitched in her throat.
Viv cleared her throat, her fingers fidgeting at the edge of her hoodie. “And I know I’ll probably only like you even more if this keeps going,” she admitted, her words careful, honest, like she was trying to put her feelings into something tangible. “But I can’t go into a relationship like this, not when everything still feels…” She trailed off, searching for the right word.
“Messy?” Beth offered.
Viv gave a small chuckle, nodding. “Yeah. Messy.”
Beth understood that.
More than she cared to admit.
Viv exhaled, looking down at her hands. “I need slow,” she murmured. “I want to—” She hesitated, swallowing before continuing. “I want to date properly. To feel the excitement of it, to actually go on dates, to feel how things change, to have firsts and moments that don’t feel rushed or complicated.”
Beth exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair, hesitating for a second before finally admitting it.
“I just really need a win, Viv.”
Viv’s brows knitted together slightly, watching her carefully.
Beth swallowed, her voice quieter now, more raw. “Lately, everything has just been… falling apart. First with Daan and everything that happened there—” She broke off, shaking her head. “She broke up with me, barely gave me a reason, and then suddenly I find out she’d been talking to someone else the whole time. Like I didn’t even matter.”
Viv’s jaw tensed slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.
Beth inhaled slowly, looking down at her hands. “And then with my mom… I mean, you know how that’s been.” She trailed off, because Viv already did. Viv knew how helpless Beth had felt, how much she had been carrying in silence. The fear, the stress, the exhaustion. The way it had weighed on her shoulders every single day.
Viv remained quiet, but Beth could feel her listening, really listening.
Beth let out a slow breath, finally lifting her gaze. “I just need something to go right. Something that doesn’t blow up in my face.” She met Viv’s eyes then, her heart hammering in her chest. “And if we do this… if we try this, I really don’t want to mess it up.”
Viv’s expression softened, something understanding flickering in her eyes.
And that’s when she nodded, a certainty in her voice that Beth hadn’t realized she needed.
“Then we won’t,” Viv said simply.
Beth felt her chest tighten, but in a good way, in a way that made her believe it just a little bit.
So, when Viv repeated, “Slow,” Beth nodded too, this time meaning it.
Viv hesitated, then, after a beat, her lips twitched into the tiniest, most hesitant smile.
“I want to feel the excitement of dates, you know?” she admitted quietly. “Like, actually looking forward to them, to… first kisses, new things, things that don’t feel forced.”
Beth smiled at that, something warm curling in her chest.
Viv caught the look on Beth’s face and immediately turned even redder.
“…Did I say something wrong?” she asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Beth shook her head, grinning now. “No. Not at all. You just sound really cute when you talk like that.”
Viv groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my god, stop.”
Beth laughed, nudging her knee against Viv’s lightly. “No, seriously. I like that.”
Viv peeked at her between her fingers. “You do?”
Beth nodded. “Yeah. I mean, you’re right. We should do this properly… if we’re going to do this.”
Viv lowered her hands slowly, watching Beth like she was trying to figure out if this was actually happening.
Beth met her gaze, something settling deep inside her. “So, we go slow,” she said simply.
Viv nodded, something soft in her expression. “Slow.”
The weight in the air had shifted, lighter than before, yet still carrying the unspoken tension between them. They had finally said the things they had been dancing around for weeks, but Beth could tell they were both still processing what it all meant.
She exhaled, rubbing her hands against her thighs before glancing at Viv. “So… should I leave?” she asked, voice casual, but part of her was hesitant—unsure if maybe this was where the night was supposed to end.
Viv’s eyes widened slightly, and she immediately shook her head. “No. Of course not.”
Beth smirked, leaning back against the couch. “You sure? I don’t want to interrupt your evening of deep cleaning and Instagram stalking.”
Viv groaned, covering her face again. “I hate you.”
Beth laughed, nudging her foot against Viv’s lightly.
Viv let out a breath, dropping her hands, then stood up. “Come on,” she said, walking toward the kitchen. “I’ll make us something to eat.”
Beth grinned. “I thought you only cooked when you were stressed.”
Viv shot her a look over her shoulder. “Maybe I am stressed.”
Beth pretended to look wounded. “Wow, my presence is stressing you out?”
Viv rolled her eyes. “You are a lot to deal with.”
Beth put a hand on her chest. “Rude.”
Viv just smirked before reaching for the deck of question cards Beth had left on the table earlier. She held them up, arching an eyebrow. “While I cook, you ask.”
Beth’s grin widened. “Oh, you really think you can multitask?”
Viv looked at her, deadpan. “Beth, I can do many things at once. I am very capable.”
Beth smirked. “Right. We’ll see.”
She leaned back into the couch, shuffling through the cards as Viv moved around the kitchen.
Beth pulled the first one and read it out loud. “Alright, let’s start easy—what’s your favorite childhood memory?”
Viv hummed as she grabbed a pot. “Probably playing football outside with my brother. Just for hours, till it got dark.” She glanced at Beth. “What about you?”
Beth hesitated for a moment before answering, “Probably holidays with my family when I was younger. Before… things got more complicated.”
Viv glanced at her, understanding in her eyes, but she didn’t push. Instead, she just nodded and motioned for Beth to continue.
Beth pulled another card. “Okay, what’s your most irrational fear?”
Viv snorted. “Horses.”
Beth blinked. “What?”
“They’re just too… big. And strong. And their eyes—” Viv shuddered dramatically, which made Beth burst out laughing.
“Horses, really?” Beth grinned. “That’s hilarious.”
Viv narrowed her eyes. “Laugh all you want, but if I ever have to be near one, I’m making you stand between us.”
Beth smirked. “Duly noted.” She pulled another card. This time, her grin turned mischievous.
“Alright, what’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for someone?”
Viv hesitated, stirring something in the pot. “I—uh…” She scratched the back of her neck. “I don’t know if I’m really a romantic person.”
Beth arched an eyebrow. “Oh, come on. You must’ve done something.”
Viv shrugged, lips pressing together. “I guess buying this house counts? Lisa loved it, and I knew she wanted it, so I made it happen.”
Beth paused, watching her carefully. “You bought a whole house for her?”
Viv shifted slightly, stirring the pot again. “It’s not like that—I mean, it was a house I liked too, but yeah, I guess part of me did it because I knew she would love it.” She let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle. “Not that it really mattered in the end.”
Beth exhaled, nodding slowly. “It still counts, though. That’s a big gesture.”
Viv glanced at her, as if trying to gauge if Beth was judging her. But Beth wasn’t. If anything, it made her realize how much Viv had been willing to give.
Viv cleared her throat. “Alright, your turn. Most romantic thing you’ve ever done?”
Beth hummed, tapping her fingers on the couch. “I once spent an entire month planning a surprise date night. Booked this fancy hotel, got the whole thing set up with candles, flowers, the works. I even had a playlist—”
Viv raised an eyebrow. “A playlist?”
Beth smirked. “A carefully curated, highly romantic playlist.”
Viv shook her head, but Beth caught the tiny amused smile. “That is disgustingly cute.”
Beth grinned. “I know.”
She pulled another card, flipping it over. The moment she read it, her smirk grew even wider.
“Oh, this is a good one.” She glanced at Viv, mischief in her eyes. “What’s your biggest turn-on?”
Viv immediately stopped moving.
Beth could see the way her shoulders tensed, her grip tightening around the spoon in her hand.
Beth grinned, waiting. “Well?”
Viv cleared her throat. “Next question.”
Beth gasped, faking offense. “Oh, come on! That’s not how the game works.”
Viv shook her head. “I am cooking. I do not need distractions.”
Beth laughed, shaking her head. “You are such a coward.”
Viv exhaled sharply, setting the spoon down for a moment. “Fine.” She turned slightly, still not meeting Beth’s gaze. “I guess… confidence? When someone knows what they want and doesn’t hesitate.”
Beth arched an eyebrow. “Huh.”
Viv glanced at her. “What?”
Beth smirked. “Just good to know.”
Viv rolled her eyes. “Oh my god, shut up.”
Beth snickered, then took another sip of her drink before answering. “Mine’s easy.”
Viv hesitated. “Go on, then.”
Beth grinned, clearly enjoying making Viv uncomfortable. “Neck kisses.”
Viv choked slightly. “Beth.”
Beth just shrugged, acting completely unbothered. “What? You asked.”
Viv shook her head, clearly regretting all her life choices that led her to this conversation. “I hate this game.”
Beth smirked. “You suggested it.”
Viv pointed her spoon at Beth, narrowing her eyes. “This is the last time I ever do.”
Beth just laughed, feeling lighter than she had in weeks.
Dinner had been surprisingly easy, lighthearted in a way that Beth hadn’t felt in weeks. Viv had cooked—something simple but good—and they had fallen into conversation that felt natural, teasing, and yet, undeniably different from before.
Now, as they stood by the front door, neither of them seemed in a rush to say goodbye.
Beth leaned against the doorframe, her arms loosely crossed, watching Viv with a small smirk. “You know, you were really in your element back there, chef Miedema. Maybe football isn’t your true calling after all.”
Viv scoffed, shaking her head. “Right, because I’m going to throw away my career to make very average pasta dishes for a living.”
Beth chuckled. “You said it, not me.”
Viv rolled her eyes but didn’t move away from where she stood just a little too close. The air between them had shifted slightly—lighter but charged, the kind of energy that neither of them seemed in a hurry to break.
Beth tilted her head, biting the inside of her cheek as she debated whether or not to say what she had been thinking for the last ten minutes.
Screw it.
She exhaled softly, looking at Viv with something more intentional in her gaze now. “So… go out with me tomorrow?”
Viv blinked, caught off guard. “Go out?”
Beth grinned, shifting forward just slightly. “Yeah. On a date.” She made sure to enunciate the last word, letting it linger between them.
Viv went visibly stiff for half a second, her ears turning pink, her lips parting slightly like she was trying to find the right response.
Beth watched her, amused and waiting.
Viv swallowed, finally clearing her throat. “Like… an actual date?”
Beth nodded, her smirk widening. “A real, proper, no-messing-around, first date.”
Viv exhaled, something softer flickering in her expression now. She hesitated, then, before nodding. “Yeah. Okay.”
Beth felt something flip in her stomach, a mix of excitement and something else she wasn’t quite ready to name.
She grinned. “Good. Thought I was gonna have to beg for a second there.”
Viv let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “I think we both know you’d enjoy that way too much.”
Beth chuckled. “Yeah, probably.”
There was a pause, a beat too long, neither of them moving.
Beth shifted slightly, and before she could think too much about it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Viv.
It was meant to be casual, but the second Viv’s arms came around her, it felt like something more.
Beth squeezed her tighter than she meant to, her face burying slightly against Viv’s shoulder. Viv didn’t hesitate to hold her back just as firmly, her arms wrapping around Beth like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Beth closed her eyes for a second, just taking in the warmth of it, the steadiness of it, how right it felt.
And then, just when she was about to pull away, she felt it.
Viv pressed a small, lingering kiss to the top of her head.
Beth froze.
Her chest tightened, not in fear, not in panic, but in something warmer, something overwhelming.
Slow.
Right.
Beth finally pulled back, just enough to look up at Viv. Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither of them moved.
Viv’s face was still slightly pink, but she didn’t look away this time.
Beth’s lips quirked into a soft smile. “See you tomorrow, then?”
Viv nodded, her voice quieter now, softer. “Yeah. Tomorrow.”