The sound of rain stirs outside. It comes down gently, smothering the Earth in a loving caress. It smells like the beginnings of spring (the scent of flowers and rain lingering in the warm air), and Tara sits on the passenger side of Amber's car. Her brunette wet hair drapes her back, and she shivers at the cold feeling resting against her bones. She hugs her arms against her chest, letting out a quiet sigh.
For the first time in a while, she feels content. Here. In New York. Here with Amber. Away from Woodsboro. Away from her memories. Away from her past and—
Amber shoots her a grin, her brown eyes crinkling and Tara cannot help but giggle in return.
“You’re such a dork,” She says playfully.
Her eyebrow raises in amusement. “And you’re not?”
Tara rolls her eyes, but there is a fluttering feeling residing in her chest. She shivers once more, letting out a small sniffle, and the woman shifts closer to her. Amber eyes her with cautionary concern, and her warm gaze leaves her cheeks feeling all nice and fuzzy. This feeling leaves her heart beating. Akin to the rain, it flows gently. Natural, even.
“Here,” she says, pulling off her gray hoodie to reveal her white shirt. It hugs tightly against her skin from the rain, revealing her pale toned abdomen, and Tara averts her gaze, blushing slightly. “You need this more than I do.” She wraps it around her shoulders and the slight brush of their skin touching leaves her head reeling.
“Always the hero,” She giggles.
She leans closer to her. “I never want to see you hurt again,” She confesses. Her words linger between them. Heavy like the rain, now. It comes down pouring, beating against the fogged windows, and her words almost become tangible. Amber's words swarm around them, and Tara feels it in the pit of her stomach; she is jittery with nerves and—
Is this love? Is this what love is like?
“It’s in the past,” She mumbles, shrugging.“What happened to us in Woodsboro doesn’t have to define us. We have each other now. Sam, Mindy, and…” Her voice trails off, eyebrows furrowing in thought. “You. You guys are my family.”
Amber gives a nod of her head and gazes at her so gently; so softly, that Tara thinks that the world around her is spinning, but between them, time just stops. She reaches for her hand, tracing the backside of it with her fingers, and her heart does a little flip.
“I’m never going to let anyone hurt you again,” She whispers. “You’re safe with me.”
She stares at their hands which are now entwined and frowns. “I know, Amber,” she says quietly. “I’m just scared.”
“I am too, Tara. Especially since I–” Amber cups her face tenderly, tracing her jawline with her thumb, and locks eyes with her. Her heart is pouring and crackling like the thunder outside and a flash of lightning stirs in the night air and—
“I think I like you,” Tara says.
There is silence for a moment. A painful moment of silence. And then Amber's lips are crushing against her own. Moving so gently. So loving. So soft. And her head is reeling with emotions and—
Is this Love? Is this Love?
It is Love.
Love is hopeless and messy and melancholic, but the way she holds her tightly against her, the palm of her hand resting against her upper back, Tara begins to feel hopeful again. Love feels like the way Amber kisses her softly, never letting her go. Love feels like the way the rain comes down and nourishes nature around them. Love feels like the blossom of spring and—
Love feels like the start of a movie.
“I think I like you too.”