Chapter 15
The invitation was hand-delivered.
Well, okay, slid under Lauren’s door with way too much glitter glue and a dramatic “TOP SECRET” sticker, but still.
Inside was a folded piece of thick cardstock, hand-lettered in silver gel pen:
Private Viewing Tonight Only:
A Celebration of Softness
Featuring the work of Sierra Turner
Location: Your favorite gallery
(a.k.a. Sierra’s living room)
Time: 8 PM sharp. Bring your curiosity
Wine will be served.
Lauren had never been good at surprises. Sierra? She excelled at them.
On the walk over, Lauren kept one hand pressed to the envelope, as if it might disappear. Their heart thudded with something heavier than nerves. It felt like being chosen. Seen. Like they were walking into a moment that would change something.
Just before eight, Lauren knocked on her door, still a little breathless from the anticipation.
Sierra opened it, wearing a black fitted tee and jeans that hugged her hips just right.
Two glittery clips held her hair back, and they caught the light when she moved.
Salem wound around her ankles like a velvet rope, granting Lauren entry.
After the tenth outfit change, Lauren had decided on a miniskirt, t-shirt, and the spiked choker Sierra once called “dangerously kissable.” When Sierra saw it, her smile faltered enough to give her away.
The transformation of the apartment was complete. String lights lined the ceiling. A playlist of warm jazz hummed from the speakers. She moved the furniture aside. Hanging from twine strung across the walls were candid, curated, intimate snapshots. They were all of Lauren.
Sierra stood beside her, bashful. “I wanted to show you how I see you. Not just through a lens. Through everything.”
Lauren moved through the room. Here they were mid-laugh, eyes crinkled. There, brushing hair from their face during a shoot. One sleeping with Salem curled protectively on their chest. Another, looking straight into the camera, unguarded, soft, and entirely themselves.
Lauren swallowed. “It’s beautiful. I don’t even recognize myself.”
Sierra’s voice softened. “That’s because you’re not used to being seen.”
Lauren turned to her, overwhelmed. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Sierra didn’t even hesitate. “Good, because I already know I am.”
They poured wine, their glasses clinking softly. Sierra laughed when Lauren took a confident sip. “This is definitely a... red wine. Very red. With grape flavors.”
“That’s a Merlot, you beautiful disaster.” Sierra grinned.
Lauren shrugged. “I understand art. Grapes, not so much.” It was easy; the kind of easy that makes you realize how rare that feeling is. They sat on the couch, fingers laced, quiet pressing around them like cotton. The air between them changed, not heavier, not charged. Just real.
Lauren’s thumb brushed Sierra’s wrist. “Can I kiss you now?”
Sierra nodded, breath catching. “I was hoping you would.”
It started slow, lips grazing like a question. Then deepened, slow and certain. Hands explored the curves of arms, ribs, waist. Soft laughter when they bumped noses. Lauren tugged at Sierra’s shirt. “Can I take this off?”
“Only if I can take off yours.”
Their clothes fell away in pieces, not hurried, revealed like secrets. They stood in nothing but underwear, eyes meeting between every motion. A pause. Then they climbed under the covers together.
There was no choreography. Just instinct. Sierra’s hand traced the line of Lauren’s back. Lauren’s fingers combed through Sierra’s hair. A kiss on her jaw. Another, lower. Their limbs tangled and re-tangled as they learned each other’s warmth by heart.
Sierra kissed the slope of Lauren’s shoulder. “You make me feel like home.”
Lauren blinked; tears threatening. “You make me feel whole.”
They held each other, skin to skin, hearts stuttering in sync. No rush. No expectation. Just presence. Reverence.
Eventually, Lauren whispered into Sierra’s neck, “This scares me.”
Sierra held Lauren tighter. “Me, too.”
They stayed like that for a long time, tangled in cotton sheets and something sacred.
And when Lauren finally drifted, wrapped in Sierra’s arms, Sierra kissed their temple and whispered, “Stay with me.”
Lauren didn’t open their eyes. They didn’t have to. “Always.”