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This has been possibly the tensest, most nerve-wracking, absolute best night of Kate’s life.
After months of this awkward dance, this “are we just friends or are we dating” thing that she and Chloe have been doing basically since they met, they’re finally on an actual, definite, undeniable date.
Chloe has been sweetly formal about the whole thing, which doesn’t fit at all with the image she projects of herself to the world but fits perfectly with the image of her that Kate has come to know through the course of their friendship. Three days ago, Chloe called her - not a text; an actual phone call - to ask her out. She’d even stuttered a bit, which was beyond adorable. And she’d made it perfectly clear what she was asking: “Would you want to go out with me? Like, on a date. A real date. A date date.” It was charming. It was cute. It was exactly what Kate had been wanting to ask her since they met. Of course she said yes.
Chloe came to pick Kate up at her dorm exactly on time (the first time since Kate’s known her that Chloe’s been on time for anything), looking as nervous as Kate’s been feeling all day. She was dressed up nicely in clean slacks and a button-down shirt and wearing cologne, a rich and spicy scent that suits her well. She brought flowers for Kate and carrot tops for Alice. And she’s been just as perfect since they left the dorms, doing all the things that Kate’s ever imagined a good date’s supposed to do: letting Kate choose the music they listen to in the truck, complimenting Kate on everything from her new cardigan to the plait she did her hair in, lending Kate her thrift store suit jacket when she shivers because the truck’s heater is busted, taking her out for dinner and movie and a walk on the beach and making her feel like a fairytale princess every step of the way (minus the fire-breathing dragon; Chloe’s been chewing her nicotine gum off and on all night but hasn’t lit up a single cigarette).
It’s Kate’s first date ever, and it’s going better than she ever would have imagined a date could go.
There’s just one thing. And it’s such a little thing. It’s silly, really. Completely insignificant and borderline ridiculous. It shouldn’t matter. They’re having such a nice time, and Chloe is being so sweet, and it’s all so perfect and Kate should be able to just enjoy it without wanting anything to be different. It’s just…
Good Lord, Kate wants a kiss.
And Chloe… Chloe’s being so well-behaved. Too well-behaved, really. Kate’s pretty sure that Chloe wants to kiss her, too - every now and then Kate spots Chloe glancing down at her lips wistfully, getting nervous and looking away when she realizes she’s been caught - but Chloe’s keeping herself in check.
Kate sort of wishes Chloe wasn’t. She’s always admired - envied, really - Chloe’s bravery, the way she goes for what she wants in life and is unapologetically herself. And normally she’s grateful for the way Chloe restrains herself a bit with her, always mindful of Kate’s boundaries. But tonight… Kate’s terrible at going for what she wants, and if Chloe’s not going to go for a kiss then that means she’s going to have to be the one to make a move.
It doesn’t happen.
All through dinner (at the Two Whales, but in their fancy clothes; there really is nowhere nice to go around here, not that they can afford, anyway), no kiss. During the movie there are a few awkward attempts at hand-holding and arm draping, but it all goes awry (Chloe even does the classic yawn-and-stretch routine that always seems to work in movies, but she seems to chicken out at the last second, leaving Kate disappointed), and no kiss. They go for a romantic walk on the beach and by the time they’re walking back to the parking lot Chloe finally works up the nerve to hold Kate’s hand, seeming justly proud of herself, but still no kiss. Chloe drives her back to campus, and definitely no kiss. Chloe walks her to the entrance of the dorm building (Kate takes her hand when Chloe seems uncertain if it’s allowed; she’s not going to let them go backwards at this point), and no kiss. After some shy hemming and hawing and increasingly sweaty hand-holding, Kate persuades her to come inside and actually walk her to her door, and time is running out.
The hallway is quiet. It’s still early for a Friday night; most people are probably out partying. She could invite Chloe in for tea, but even though she knows they wouldn’t do anything improper it still feels a bit too forward to ask. So they stand outside Kate’s still-locked door and make small talk, stretching out the waning moments of their first official date.
“This was awesome,” Chloe says for the third time. She’s staring at Kate’s lips again. She blinks and her beautiful sky blue eyes dart away sheepishly when she notices Kate staring back.
“Yeah,” Kate agrees again. She’s just staring openly, hoping that Chloe will suddenly learn to read her mind or at least her body language.
“Cool, cool. Glad you had a good time.” Chloe licks her lips anxiously. The lip gloss she’d clearly applied at the beginning of the night is practically worn away. Her lips look no less kissable for it.
“I definitely did. The movie was… fun.”
Chloe chuckles shyly. “I, uh, did not expect for there to be so much blood. Sorry about that.”
“It was fine. I’m really not that squeamish.” Chloe’s lips are perfect. Kate wonders what they taste like. Maybe if she stares at them hard enough she’ll find out.
“Oh, word.” Chloe cringes. “Uh, I mean. Cool. Maybe we can watch a movie together again sometime?”
Kate beams, and Chloe’s eyes stray down to her smiling lips again, lingering this time. “I’d love that.”
“Yeah? I mean, yeah. That’d be…”
“Cool?” Kate supplies, smirking a little.
Chloe blushes, and Good Lord Kate can not handle that. “Um. Yeah.” Her eyes are still on Kate’s mouth. Kate wishes her lips were instead. “So, like… Second date?”
“Yes, please. This weekend?”
“Heck yeah. You can pick out the movie this time.”
“I’d be happy to. But I thought you picked fine.”
“Really? I was freaking out the whole time that you’d hate it. I mean, I know you’re not a square or whatever, but still. I don’t wanna scare you off by having weird taste in movies.”
“It’d take more than that to scare me off, Chloe.”
“Y-yeah?”
“In fact…” Kate summons up her courage. “I’ve been worried about scaring you off tonight, too.”
Chloe blinks in surprise, looking away from Kate’s mouth for the first time in whole minutes. “What, really? Why’s that?”
Kate steps close and Chloe’s eyes dart back down to her lips even as they widen in surprise. “Because this,” Kate says, and she moves her mouth close enough to Chloe’s that she’ll have to stop staring and do something about it. She pauses before making contact, close enough for the request to be clear but far enough away that Chloe can back out if she really wants to.
To Kate’s immense relief and eternal gratitude, Chloe leans down slightly and closes the gap herself.
Chloe’s lips taste like her cigarettes smell, but with traces of mint, buttered movie popcorn, and the faintest hint of strawberry lip gloss.
“Oh,” Chloe breathes when they pull back enough to breathe again. “C-cool.”
Kate giggles and kisses her again.