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St. Albans — Later That Night
The apartment felt different with Elle in it.
Warmer somehow.
Leah noticed it immediately.
Maybe it was the overnight bag by the sofa. Or Elle's book abandoned beside the kitchen counter ten minutes after arriving. Or the fact Leah physically couldn't stop touching her now that she was finally here again.
Little things.
Hands brushing.
Kisses stolen between conversations.
The quiet intimacy of moving around each other naturally.
"You're smiling again," Elle said softly from the kitchen.
Leah looked up from the kettle. "You say that like it's embarrassing."
"It is embarrassing. You're down catastrophically."
Leah laughed quietly and walked toward her slowly.
Elle stood in one of Leah's hoodies now — sleeves slightly too long, curls messy from travel, cheeks still pink from the cold outside.
And Christ.
Seeing her here in her apartment nearly undid Leah completely.
Because this wasn't New York anymore.
This was real life.
Her life.
"You flew all the way here just to bully me?" Leah murmured.
"Obviously."
Leah stepped between her knees where she sat against the kitchen counter, hands settling automatically at Elle's waist.
The teasing faded almost immediately.
It always did.
One second joking.
The next looking at each other like this.
Like something important was happening quietly beneath the surface.
"You know what's weird?" Leah said softly.
"What?"
"You being here feels really normal."
Elle's expression softened instantly.
"Yeah?"
Leah nodded once.
"Like you've already been part of this place for ages."
The honesty in her voice made warmth bloom low in Elle's chest.
Leah kissed her gently before she could say anything back.
Slow.
Familiar already.
And God, that was dangerous.
Because they were learning each other quickly now — the way Leah tilted her head slightly before kissing her deeper, the soft breath Elle made when Leah's hands slid beneath the hoodie at her waist, the way both of them instinctively moved closer every single time they touched.
Leah pulled back just enough to look at her.
"You tired?"
"A bit."
"You should sleep."
Elle smiled faintly. "You saying that while kissing me is confusing."
Leah laughed softly against her mouth.
"Fair point."
The kettle clicked quietly behind them, forgotten instantly.
Leah kissed her again slower this time, thumbs brushing gently along her hips beneath the fabric of the hoodie.
The atmosphere shifted gradually.
Not sudden.
Just warm and inevitable.
The apartment lights were dim now. Rain tapped softly against the windows outside. Somewhere downstairs someone laughed loudly in the street before disappearing again into the night.
Inside, everything narrowed down to this.
The closeness.
The comfort.
The wanting.
Leah rested her forehead lightly against Elle's for a moment.
"You know what I thought on the plane home from New York?"
Elle smiled softly. "That you're obsessed with me?"
Leah rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately true."
That earned a quiet laugh.
Then Leah's expression softened again.
"I thought maybe being apart would calm this down a bit."
Elle looked at her carefully. "And did it?"
Leah's hands tightened slightly at her waist.
"Not even remotely."
The confession settled warmly between them.
Elle kissed her first this time.
And Leah melted immediately.
There was no hesitation anymore. No uncertainty. Just months of tension and distance finally disappearing piece by piece every time they touched.
They stumbled laughing softly toward the bedroom eventually, stopping every few steps to kiss again like neither could quite get enough.
"You are very distracting," Leah murmured breathlessly against her neck.
"You've mentioned."
"I mean it."
Elle smiled against her mouth as Leah fell backward onto the bed pulling her with her.
The room glowed softly from streetlights outside while London rain blurred against the windows.
And somewhere between New York and St. Albans, between airports and late-night FaceTimes and accidental feelings neither of them planned for— they stopped pretending this was temporary.