Page 55 of Shifting Gears

“Maybe we should move to the couch?” Dani suggests.

Nora is still nodding when Dani picks her up again and carries her to the living room. She puts a movie on, but they’re barely past the opening credits before their lips are glued together.

Dani kisses in a way that makes the world disappear. Everything narrows to lips and tongue and hands, subtle grinding and hot breath on her skin, and soon the sated soreness of the night is forgotten. Nora’s body is limber and aching again, even with some silly animated film playing in the background.

“So, what about your dating history?” Dani asks a half hour later, pulling away apropos of nothing. A jaunty musical number is blaring from the television, and Nora’s body is screaming for Dani’s hands to be in and on her again. “It’s only fair.”

Nora blinks. The whiplash of going from heavy petting to talking about the past again is making her a little dizzy.

“What?” Nora says.

Dani looks down at her with an expectant expression. “I told you mine. I realize I never asked, so I’d love to hear, if you’re comfortable sharing.”

Nora makes a noise of discontent, shifting under Dani and noting that the pressure she’s putting on Nora’s hips hasn’t let up. She just seems to be hitting pause for some reason. If it means more kissing afterwards, Nora can do what she asks.

“What dating history? I have situationships,” Nora says a bit dazedly, ignoring Dani’s frown. “I fell in love once. It ended catastrophically.”

Nora says it matter-of-factly, trying to get it over with so she can get back to the good part, but Dani engages. “Only once?”

“University roommate,” Nora says quickly. “We got caught. I told her it was a mistake. She transferred dorms, and I never saw her again.”

It’s a terse summary of the events that led to Nora almost getting disowned and subsequently using Ash as a beard for five years, but she isn’t sure she has the strength to go into any more detail.

“Who were you hiding it from?”

“Everyone,” Nora says, smiling a little at Dani’s empathetic frown. “But mostly my father. I didn’t start dating women openly until a few years ago, when he stopped having so much influence on my life.”

“Your father sounds like a dick,” Dani says, and Nora manages a laugh. She can still see her father’s stone-cold expression, staring at her over his wide mahogany desk while his fourth wife relayed what she’d seen Nora doing and who she’d seen her doing it with. She should have known not to be so affectionate in public, but Nora had been young at the time. Idealistic.

Her father’s approval had always been difficult to gain, no matter how hard she worked, but his disapproval was so easy. None of her achievements were enough. The only time he’d ever seemed truly pleased with her was when she’d introduced Ash as her fake boyfriend a few months later.

“Correct,” Nora says shortly. “I’d rather not talk about it right now, if that’s okay.”

Dani, thank God, seems to take that for what it is. She nods, dips back down—Nora hadn’t really noticed that Dani has essentially been planking for the whole discussion, with an incredibly stirring ease—and finally kisses Nora again. Nora’s father and both of their rocky romantic pasts fade away, and, for a while, Nora goes with the flow.

The flow ends up leading to Nora’s bed again. In the end, Nora decides, the talk was worth it.

Chapter 13

Nora is roused the nextmorning not by the smell of coffee or the sun on her face but by the rustle of Dani getting dressed at—Nora squints blearily at her phone, lit up on the bedside table—five thirty in the goddamn morning.

“Hey,” Dani whispers, seeing Nora’s movement and sitting down next to her on the bed. “I have to work today. I tried not to wake you.”

“Come back to bed,” Nora grumbles into her pillow, burying her face in the soft fabric. Three months ago she wouldn’t have been caught dead sleeping in, especially not on a Monday, but she’s currently tired and a bit worked up from the combination of last night’s memories and a pleasant dream she was having. She tugs at Dani’s arm until she falls onto the mattress.

“As much as I wish I could, I think Sarah would genuinely kill me if I didn’t show up because I was too busy getting laid,” Dani says, chuckling.

After a few last indulgent minutes of morning kisses, Nora follows Dani downstairs to show her out, and she takes note for the first time this weekend of the state of her house.

The couch cushions are in disarray, probably from her attempt to straddle Dani’s face last night, which had ended with her on the floor and Dani screaming with laughter until they relocated to bed. Two days’ worth of clothes are scattered across the living room and kitchen. The remains of last night’s dinner are still all over the countertop—she had cut up some cheese and bread, which they ate mostly naked before using the surface for other activities.

Most noticeably, the evidence of the drastic change in their relationship is painted across their bodies. Hickeys and bruises, bite marks and smudges of lipstick tracked over Dani’s skin. Nora knows she needs to shower and clean the house, but something in her is also enjoying having such a tangible reminder.

Dani is heading to her truck and Nora is about to close the door behind her to get started on her morning when she has a stark realization.

“Dani?” Nora calls out. She hesitates, twisting the fabric of her robe in her fingers. It seems ridiculous now, given how much time they’ve spent together. They’ve spent the bulk of the last two days naked, for God’s sake, but after all this time, she still hasn’t asked. “Could I have your phone number?”

And just like that, they’re seeing each other. Casually.

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