Chapter 25

The cafe had closed an hour ago, but neither of you wanted to head back yet. The city had cooled under the weight of nightfall, and the streets were mostly empty – perfect for the kind of walk that wasn’t really about going anywhere.

You and Dani strolled side by side, her hand in yours, but there was a tension under it now. Less innocent, more… electric. Your fingers weren’t just laced – they were gripping, like letting go wasn’t an option.

Her thumb was brushing slow, lazy circles over the back of your hand as you walked, but each stroke felt intentional. Teasing.

You glanced over at her, and there it was – that look. The one that said I’m thinking things I shouldn’t say out loud right now. The one that made your stomach flip and your heart beat a little faster.

“You keep looking at me like that,” you said, voice low, “and we’re gonna have a problem.”

Dani smirked. “Who’s looking?”

“You.”

She feigned innocence, eyes wide. “I’m just admiring the view.”

You tilted your head. “Yeah? What’s the view like?”

Her lips curved. “Dangerous.”

You were barely a block away from the house now, but every step felt heavier, like your bodies were moving slower on purpose – stretching out the moment because you both knew where this was going.

And you wanted it to keep going.

“You’re walking really close,” you murmured, your shoulder brushing against hers every step.

“You’re warm.” she whispered, her arm sliding around your waist. “And I might explode if I don’t touch you right now.”

You looked at her. The glow from a nearby streetlight caught in her eyes – those dark smouldering eyes that used to make you nervous and now just made you feel weak.

She stopped walking. Just for a second.

You turned toward her, expecting a kiss – something soft. But she didn’t kiss you.

“I swear to god, if one of these girls is on the couch when we get back, I’ll cry.”

You laughed – breathless.

“Think we can sneak past?”

“We’ll have to.”

You resumed walking, faster now, her hand slipping down to the small of your back as if she couldn’t keep it together anymore.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day,” she said suddenly, like she’d been holding it in.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Her voice dropped. “What you wore this morning. How soft you sounded on the phone. And the way you looked across the table tonight like you were gonna devour me and my croissant.”

You turned to her with a grin. “Is that why you got flustered when I licked the cream off the fork?”

“Obviously,” she hissed, smacking your arm. “You did it on purpose.”

You laughed. “Maybe.”

“God, you’re so annoying,” she said – but her voice was breathy, her pupils a little blown, and her hand had slid just under the hem of your hoodie, her fingertips tracing your bare skin like it was second nature.

*

By the time you reached the front gate of the Katseye house, your heart was pounding harder than it had all night – and not from walking.

Dani pressed herself a little closer, shielding you from the cameras that might be somewhere (even though it was dark and quiet), and reached for the door.

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice barely there. “Deep breath. No eye contact. Straight to my room.”

“Our room,” you corrected, grinning.

She bit back a smile. “Right. Our room. Even hotter.”

“Poor Manon,” you giggled.

She pushed the door open slowly.

Silence.

No one in the hallway. No Megan fake-scolding you. No Yoonchae with her phone. Just a pair of shoes by the stairs and the sound of the kitchen fridge humming quietly.

“Coast is clear,” you whispered.

You slipped inside, quietly shutting the door behind you. Dani was already walking toward the stairs when you grabbed her wrist and tugged her back – gently, but with a force that made her body spin into yours.

You looked down at her, just the faintest light from the hallway catching her flushed face, her parted lips, her eyes blown wide.

“I’ve been thinking about you all day too,” you said. “And if you think I’m sleeping without getting my hands on you, you’re out of your mind.”

Her breath hitched. Then she grabbed your hand and pulled you up the stairs, quick and quiet and absolutely not innocent.

You passed the living room. Empty. Yoonchae and Sophia’s door – closed, music barely audible. Megan and Lara’s – nothing but darkness.

You made it to Dani’s room without being seen, and the second the door clicked shut behind you, she was turning to face you, that wicked smirk back on her lips.

“You were saying?” she asked.

You didn’t say anything.

You just stepped forward and kissed her – and that’s where the night really began.

*

She crossed the room slowly, deliberately, her eyes never leaving yours. The overhead light was off, just the small glow of her desk lamp lighting the space in a soft golden haze. Her half of the room was neat, bed made (barely), posters tacked up in a way that felt curated but personal. Your things – hoodie, brush, a favourite book – were scattered around like this wasn’t just her space anymore.

It was yours too.

Dani stepped into you, her hands finding the hem of your hoodie and sliding underneath, fingers cold against your warm skin. She didn’t say anything – just dragged them along your sides, slow and teasing, until you shivered.

“Cold?” she whispered.

You shook your head, eyes locked onto hers. “You’re just making me nervous.”

A slow smirk spread across her lips. “Good.”

She leaned in, lips brushing yours – not quite a kiss. Just enough to make you chase her mouth, which she always loved. Her hand came up to cup your cheek, thumb grazing the corner of your mouth like she was memorising it.

And then she kissed you.

Really kissed you.

Slow, deep, full of everything she’d been holding back the second your hand touched hers on that sidewalk. You melted into it, your arms wrapping around her waist, her hoodie soft under your fingertips, her body pressed against yours in a way that said I need you closer. Closer than this.

You backed up towards the bed blindly, legs bumping the edge. Dani followed, not breaking the kiss, climbing onto your lap the second you sat down. Her knees straddled your thighs, her hands tangled in your hair, her lips parting just enough to let out a soft, breathy sound that made your stomach twist in the best way.

“You’re really testing my self-control right now,” you murmured against her mouth.

Her response was a light tug on your hoodie – upward.

“Then lose it.”

You grinned, letting her pull it off, then tugged at her own hoodie in return. She raised her arms with that same smirk, like she knew exactly what she was doing to you – and she did. The way her shirt rode up just a little too far. The soft skin exposed at her waist. The heat radiating between you.

“You’re staring,” she whispered.

“You’re gorgeous,” you whispered back.

Her face flushed – not from embarrassment, but from the way you said it. Like it wasn’t a compliment. Like it was a fact.

“I really, really like you,” she said, voice suddenly soft, vulnerable in that way she only got when it was just the two of you.

You reached up, brushing your fingers through her hair. “I’m in love with you.”

Her eyes widened just slightly – even though she already knew. She’d known. Still, it landed like it was the first time.

She kissed you again, slower this time, her forehead resting against yours between breaths.

“You’re not making it easy to be quiet,” she murmured, lips ghosting across your jaw. “If one of the girls hears us, I’m blaming you.”

“Blame me all you want,” you said, breath catching as her hands slid lower. “They already think we’re gross.”

“We are gross,” she said with a grin. “Beautifully, annoyingly, shamelessly gross.”

You nodded. “And proud.”

She laughed, the sound muffled against your neck.

“Dani,” you said, voice low, hands tracing down her spine, “lock the door.”

Her eyes flicked to yours. Lit up. And without a word, she leaned over you, arm outstretched, fingers flicking the lock into place.

Click.

“Now,” she said, crawling back into your lap with a wicked smile, “where were we?”

———-

Just a sneaky continuation of the last chapter 😉