Kate once again feels cornered by Rana's unpredictable ability to be direct. She was right. She had been dodging Rana for weeks to prevent getting into this exact scenario. Then Zeedan had guilted her into helping him set up for the wedding party, and now she's here on the eve of their ceremony being confronted by the only person she's been able to think about lately.
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Rana's tone is accusing and Kate bristles for a fight.
"Do you realize what it cost me to be here?", her throat is strained. "I really don't need this." Kate moves to push past her, but Rana blocks her way.
"I'm sorry", all the fight has gone out of her words, but Kate balks at her attempt to make up.
"No, seriously…" Rana is watching her closely again, the sadness rolling off every syllable. Her voice drops to a soft, almost inaudible plea. "Don't go."
Kate's shoulders sag as she feels her irritation immediately fall away at the desperate look in Rana's eyes. Don't do this to me. All the avoidance from the past few weeks can't save her now and she suddenly feels trapped by Rana's stare. The only problem is, she doesn't want to go.
Kate inhales sharply, her eyebrows rising with her lowering resolve. She makes one last attempt to keep up the confrontation. Anything to stop her from doing what she wants to be doing. Has been wanting to do. Has been hating herself for how much she wants to do it.
"One minute you're as cold as ice, and then- ", she trails off as she looks back up into Rana's exposed gaze, cut open for her to see the longing she's been feeling reflected back at her.
"Please…", Rana whispers, and she's struck by how much weight can be hanging on a single word. She searches her eyes for a moment longer as Rana does the same, before Kate's unconsciously drift lower. Her body sways backward as she hears her heart thrumming in her ears. She should run again. There's only one more day until Rana is officially married and then they can stop all this. Rana will snap out of her infatuation and Kate—, well. It will be easier to deny what's been happening between them when Rana stops making it impossible for her to ignore.
Hands are abruptly betraying her before her mind is able to catch up. She feels the magnetic pull of the other woman and suddenly she's gently cupping Rana's face and melting into her. As soon as their lips connect, Kate's senses are overwhelmed. The taste of her. The smell of her. The specifics of their first kiss had faded quickly. Shock overriding any chance to commit much to memory. There was just the ghost of Rana's mouth on hers in the brief period afterward as she had sucked in her bottom lip to taste what had happened minutes before.
But now, it's all flooding back ten-fold as she heaves air through her nose to try and stay grounded. All she manages to do is breathe her in further. Everything is heightened as Rana's eyelashes tickle the tops of her cheekbones.
Before she's able to stop the kiss from escalating further, tingles run across her spine as the sensation of Rana's hands unexpectedly glide up her back. Kate can faintly hear, but more importantly, feel Rana's lungs fill as they completely meld together. Their lips smack in unison as the intensity builds.
It's too much. Kate begins to pull away, but the other girl is still too close. Too warm and inviting, her kiss unrelenting as Rana follows her mouth. The hands on her back slowly descend down her body, following the path they came, except this time they enclose around her hips. Just as she feels the hint of Rana's tongue on her bottom lip, Kate rips herself away. Breathing heavily, heart hammering wildly in her chest, she can do nothing but gape in shock at the mirrored expression staring back at her.
This is insane. It hits her then that Rana probably has no idea that Zeedan is home and about to come back downstairs any second. Even worse, that she knew and kissed her anyway. Selfishly, she glances one last time at Rana's mouth. The glisten on her lips being the final image to stain her mind as she brushes past her, exhaling heavily. A hand reaches out in a weak attempt to stop her, but before there's time for her pursuer to make a second attempt, Zeedan is coming down the stairs and obstructing her path.
"Where you goin'?", the confusion clear in his voice.
"I've got to get off, Zee. Bye."
She can hardly look him in the eye as she rushes out the door, afraid that what just happened is written all over her face. Nausea comes over her in waves as soon as she hits the side walk. The full ramifications of what they just did—of what they've been doing, hitting her all at once.
There was only one more day. Even as she thinks it, she's sees now it was foolish to pretend this would just go away as soon as the wedding papers were signed. Because now she knows. Knows with certainty the answer to the question Rana has been trying to get out of her.
"Do you feel same about me as I do about you?"
Yes. And she hates herself for it. Hates Rana for making her want someone she cannot want, but wants anyway. Hates the situation, because there is no happy ending here. No matter what they do next, someone is going to get hurt, and no one deserves it less than Zeedan.
As she walks down the street, the sick feeling only manages to compound in on itself as her brain is assaulted with intrusive thoughts like; when can I see her again? What would have happened if Zee hadn't been there? And most alarmingly, what can I do to stop the wedding?
Tears are free falling down her face now and she wipes at them in disgust. As horrible as she feels for kissing Rana, it doesn't compare to the awful realization she has now.
Kate lets out a shaky breath as all her thoughts settle into place.
Even knowing the consequences, she can't help but want to do it again.