Beli panics her way through the remainder of Thursday and wakes up Friday morning in an all-out nervous fret. She imagined that she could cut down her terrors in a single, decisive stroke – "Kyanna, will you go out with me?" – but her fears merely splintered thousand-fold into a buzzing swarm of anxieties:

Kyanna craves excitement from her date night. Thrills, chills and flirty exchanges. How can she deliver that rush when she spends her off-hours reading novels and scrapbooking leaves?

Kyanna wants her partner to be daring – a rebel who'll take the lead and show her a night of wild, sensual escapades. Beli wracks with guilt every time she tosses recyclable plastics into the garbage! How can someone so spineless possibly thrill Kyanna?

Worst of all, Kyanna wants someone sexual. Beli replays her anxious squirming in the lingerie boutique, and the sight of Aiko's scandalous casino dress. Flipping through a closet of ankle-length dresses and conservative saris, Beli laughs at the thought that she could ever compete for Kyanna's desires.

She has to go shopping; she has to fix this right away! She has to fix herself before she loses Kyanna at the front door.

When Beli announces herself that night with a trembling knock, it's the babysitter who answers, and the blonde girl rears back in surprise. "Miss Lapran?" she exclaims, and Beli feels a spark of pride at the unspoken query: is that really you?

No more modest saris, no more boring sandals. Her pointed toes peep from four-inch open stilettos, her legs are on full display in hip-hugging, low-riding skinny jeans, and her midriff, arms and cleavage are bared to the world thanks to her sleeveless crop top and its plunging V-neck. "I-I'll tell Kyanna you're here," Tiffany stammers, and Beli imagines the college girl retreating in shock, moved by her raw, sexual aura.

Now if only she could actually move!

Beli prides herself on flexibility and balance, but in these high-heels she wobbles like she's walking on a circus tightrope. And these jeans! The teenage clerk assured her they would make her bum look "super cute"; that she'd feel feminine and confident, but all she feels now is a lack of circulation. Her legs have been squeezed into sausage casings. A rusted tin man from Oz could move its knees more freely.

These aren't leggings, they're a corset for the lower body!

And the less said about this tissue-thin top, the better. I didn't realize it would be so cold tonight, she winces as she rubs the goosebumps from her arms. But if Kyanna likes it…

"Bels?" The stunned voice breaks Beli from her reverie. Kyanna!

"Shut the front door. Bels, did you go buy jeggings for me?"

"Wha-?" She did pull off the tag, didn't she? "N-no, just something I found in the back of my closet." Beli strikes a pose, leaning on her hip, and her heels nearly topple from under her.

Against her over-the-top supermodel outfit, Kyanna is dressed simply and casually: a cotton top in a pattern of gray checkers and an equally humble knee-length skirt with sandals. Beli remembers this outfit from one of their first friendly outings – lunch at a sandwich shop. Their night together has barely begun and already Kyanna is signalling not to get her hopes up:

We were good as friends, weren't we?

Meanwhile, Kyanna's eyes appraise the rest of her ensemble, no doubt catching her every wobble and shiver. "That top –?"

"Half-off sale," Beli explains. As in, the store must have cut half of the fabric from an actual shirt to leave her with this napkin!" Just something to treat myself."

"The shoes too?"

"Oh, I bought them a while back, just never found a good time to wear them."

"And are you wearing lipstick?"

Beli shrinks like a child caught chewing gum in class. She's a counterfeit and Kyanna can see through her like wax paper. "It … looks okay?"

Kyanna's smile comes hesitantly.

"I mean, yeah, you're rockin' it, Bels but… you can move in those jeans, right?"

"Oh, just fine." I only needed a clothes hanger to yank up my zipper.

"And you don't want to grab a sweater or something?"

"It's fine." Mimicking Aiko's come-hither eyes, she adds, "I'm feeling plenty hot right now."

"Well, okay, chica." Kyanna turns to blow a farewell kiss to her boy, then locks the door and puts on her best grin. "Okay, show me a good time, belleza!"

"Um, right! Off we go … on our date."

Despite her nervousness, those words fill Beli with giddy energy and she completely misses the first stair. A wobble, a cry, and she barely catches herself on the handrail.

"How about we take the elevator?" Kyanna suggests.

"Okay," Beli nods, her heart thudding. The question of how she'll bend her legs to sit inside her car sends her wincing. They haven't even left the front door and she can already feel this night falling apart.

She dreads what Kyanna will say about their destination…

"The carnival?"

Kyanna stares into the festival of lights and rides with a look of stunned disbelief, and Beli's certain she's screwed up. Then the Latina pumps her fist, jumping and hooting with glee.

"No way, you're taking me to the carnival? Rock on!"

Beli exhales. "I remember you saying -"

"Papá always used to save up so he could take me and the boys here in the summer! Aw Bels, this is so sweet of you."

Sweet like a friend. Desperate to correct course, Beli sticks out her chest and tries to purr in an Aiko-like flirtation. "No need to thank me. I know exactly what you want."

Big mistake. Kyanna's eyes twinkle as they call her bluff and ante her flirt back tenfold. "Ooh, but if you're such a mind-reader, then how come you're standing so far away from me, chica?"

Before Beli can fold, Kyanna trots into her personal space and coils herself around her bare arm. Beli's heart hammers as the Latina snuggles up against her side.

"Better hold me tight, or I might wander off."

She says it teasingly, but to Beli it's a dire warning – You're on the clock. Keep me impressed, or else.

Thrills, excitement, Beli reminds herself. She eyes Kyanna's hip, mentally psyches herself to reach an arm around and –

A wolf-whistle from some passing boys - "¿Necesitas una tercero, chicas?" - and her nerves shatter. Beli slides away until they're barely brushing fingertips. She can feel Kyanna's disappointment as acutely as she feels her own.

From there on in, the night is an absolute disaster.

They start off wandering through the game stalls – shooting galleries, tests of strength. A dollar to play and shelves full of plush animals to win. Kyanna stops them at one of the ring toss stands and fawns over the adorable, pink teddy bear on the top row. "Aww, isn't he cute, Bels? Wouldn't you just love having that guy at home?"

It's a call to action, and Beli fishes out a dollar to win Kyanna her heart's desire. Her first toss goes wide; so does the second and the third. "Want me to take a crack at it?" Kyanna offers.

"Just one more, I've got it." At least, she'd have a fighting chance if her stiff jeans and wobbly heels weren't throwing off her balance! The momentum from every toss threatens to toss her feet off their spike-heeled pedestals.

Twenty dollars later, even the carney can't stand to see her humiliation continue. "Everyone's a winner," the tattooed man declares, and Beli is left staring at a dinky, plastic keychain with a smiling, cartoonish broccoli floret. Kyanna does her best to supress a giggle.

"Well, you keep saying you need reminders to eat healthy, right, Bels? Hey, how's about we grab a bite?"

When it comes to food, Kyanna gravitates to the spicy vendors. Knowing she has to keep up, Beli orders two of the red-hot, five-alarm chilli dogs with jalapeños and banana peppers. Kyanna is rightly skeptical.

"You sure, Bels? You had indigestion last month after the waitress cracked pepper into your pea soup."

"Oh, I can handle the heat," Beli declares, narrowing her eyes to add a sexy smoulder to her innuendo. Channeling her best impression of Jessie Maye with a Popsicle, Beli locks eyes with Kyanna as she chomps down on her dog.

Ten minutes later, Kyanna is still checking her phone at the washroom door, and Beli's still gulping down cold water from the sink.

"Guess we found something hotter than you, huh Bels?"

Beli needs Kyanna to enjoy herself; to howl with giddy laughter, but the only response that the food and games have mustered are pitying chuckles over her failures.

The carnival rides will settle the fate of their evening, and Beli has visions of slow romance: laughing gaily as they circle the carousel, watching the city lights from atop the Ferris wheel, hands interlaced as they share a seat.

But Kyanna has a different ride criteria: the wilder, the better! For her friend's sake, Beli cringes through a ride on the Gravitron; she endures a toss around the Tilt-o-Whirl but when Kyanna tugs them towards the park's rickety, wooden rollercoasters, Beli's knees buckle in protest.

"C'mon Bels. We gotta try that one!"

Kyanna points to a towering monstrosity, an accident-in-the-making that opens with a vertical plunge into three consecutive loop-de-loops. Beli swears she sees the tracks swaying in the wind.

"If you're nervous, Bels, you can snuggle with me in the line-up." Kyanna moves to lace their arms together again, but Beli steps away, determined to project confidence.

"N-no, I'm fine. Let's go."

She screams the whole ride through. Kyanna screams too, but it's joyous whooping. When they've returned to horizontal ground and the safety harnesses pop, Beli drops her head to her knees and shudders. The attendant warns her that she's holding up the next ride, Kyanna pats her on the shoulder and whispers her name, but she simply can't move. Her body refuses.

After two security guards carry her to the first-aid office, Kyanna makes a final, pitying appraisal of her date – quivering under a blanket like the scared little child she is – and the Latina decides it's time to be merciful.

"Hey, Bels, can we call it a night? I'm kinda worrying about Phily and I wanna check in on him."

Beli's entire body stiffens as though she's been shot.

It's over.

The air rushes from her lungs like a deflating balloon. Leave it to Kyanna to find that perfect, diplomatic phrasing, but it's over.

And Beli decides that if there's nothing more to lose, she may as well go out blazing.

"Can we get some ice cream on the way?"

"Ice -? Bels, aren't you on a diet? I mean, I think I saw one of those frogurt stands but -"

"Ice cream," Beli repeats firmly. "I just ... want some real ice cream." She hopes Kyanna can't hear her sniffling.

Catching on, Kyanna smiles softly. "Yeah, y'know what, I could totally go for something sweet."

The sitter is surprised to see them return so soon. "Girls' night finish early?" she asks.

"Meh, just wasn't feeling it," Kyanna shrugs, while Beli wilts further. Even a progressive university student can't picture them as anything but friends.

Maybe it's better that way?

Meanwhile, Kyanna asks after Phily, currently kicking and squirming in Tiffany's arms and threatening to send the whole hallway banging against their shared drywall. "I tried putting him to sleep, but the little guy just wouldn't settle. Guess he wound himself up worrying about his madré."

"You did your best," Kyanna assures her, and she tips the girl generously. "We'll take it from here."

Beli's heart jumps again as Kyanna takes her arm a third time. She thought it only proper to see Kyanna all the way back to her door, but now she's being guided into the apartment as Tiffany is being shooed out. Hands full with an upset baby, Kyanna closes the door with her heel. She turns to Beli, and her eyes blaze with playful business.

"Okay, Bels. You ready to tire out my little conejito?"

"Born ready," Beli nods, fired up with her own second wind. She knows her place now. Maybe she can't moonlight the role of a dream date, but the supportive best friend is the role she was born to play, and she's prepared to throw her heart into it!

Curling up on the carpet, they work as a team to entertain Phily: peekaboo and catch-catch with his favorite ball and bouncing him on bended knee until his squeals erupt more softly, and his face begins to stretch in tired yawns. In the end, it's story time as told by Auntie Beli that finally sends Kyanna's boy off to nappy land, and Beli feels a notch of pride at the coup de grace she's delivered. Kyanna even lets her lay Phily down in his bedroom crib so she can skedaddle to the kitchen and nuke them some hot pockets.

Draining a toddler's batteries is hungry work after all.

With the hard labor finished, they sit together on Kyanna's couch - microwavable crumbs in their laps and grease on their fingers as they huddle around the glow from Beli's smart phone. Kyanna shows her how to piggyback on the neighbour's unprotected Wi-Fi, and she introduces her friend to the best of Bollywood as featured on Netflix.

The laughter Beli stressed after and sought so desperately now flows as freely as the convenience mart wine Kyanna's uncorked.

"Omigod, why do they keep singing and dancing out of the blue like that?"

"It's … I don't know, it's a genre thing. Like Western musicals."

"Yeah, but in a spy thriller or a murder mystery?" Kyanna does her best to muffle her laughs, but they just keep coming.

"Shh, you'll wake Phily," Beli scolds. Worried for the boy, she goes around switching off the lights until only the thinnest flame from the corner lamp remains. Kyanna hums with intrigue at this mood lighting.

"How're my clothes treating you?" she asks.

"Much better," Beli sighs. During the car ride back she released an ice cream-fueled rant about her ill-fitting jeans and heels. In response, Kyanna's loaned her a pair of gray sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie. It's a little snug around the chest, but not unbearably so like those god-awful "high fashion" items. Some unidentified stains splatter the knees, and she looks ready to spend the weekend cleaning apartment, but Beli's not worrying herself over presentation anymore. She's back in the "friend zone", and there's no need to impress anyone.

Kyanna studies her thoughtfully as she sips her wine. "Well I like it. You should wear my clothes more often."

"I think we'd have some size differences," Beli points out. "I'm 5'9". My tops would be a little long and loose on you."

Kyanna grins. "Maybe I need something long and loose to keep me warm in bed. Hmm?"

They chuckle, but below the surface, Kyanna's teasing strikes hard and she feels it again – that nagging guilt, the terrible feeling that she's let down her friend.

"Kyanna… I'm sorry. I know you wanted an exciting night and I just couldn't keep up. I'm sorry."

Kyanna irritation doesn't surprise her but the subject of her ire does.

"Beli, you've gotta start speaking up for yourself! I mean, I get that it's your first time out with a woman and you wanna make things perfect, but going on a date's all about trying stuff we'll both enjoy. Yeah, I like roller coasters and fast rides but I wanna make sure you're having a good time too. You probably wanted to try the Ferris wheel or something."

Beli gives a guilty nod. Point proven, Kyanna drains her wine and hammers the glass on the table.

"I just … rrgh, it makes me feel bad when I see you dressing up or doing stuff because you think I'll like it. Like I'm forcing you into something.

"Still," she continues, "kinda my fault too. I thought if I got you all flustered over some crazy rides I could get you cuddling up nice and close." She throws an arm around Beli's shoulder in demonstration. "But you had to be the Beli the Brave and tough it out."

Beli wriggles out from Kyanna's mock-embrace, frowning. "I thought you were making fun of me; trying to show me that I couldn't keep up!"

"I know, and I feel like shit, Bels. I went and picked this outfit from our very first 'friend' date, and you were so jittery you didn't even notice."

"Wait, you wore that –"

"I thought it'd be special; you know, a second 'first time out'."

Beli's mind replays their events. "So the carnival games -"

"I was trying to figure out which plushy you liked; didn't expect you'd go all white knight and empty your purse tryin' to win me one."

It's all making sense now. "Then the chili dogs –"

"No, I just like spicy food."

"Oh."

"Sorry, but you walked yourself into that one, chica. Nothin' saying we both have to order from the same stall, right?"

"Yes, that's true."

Sensing her deflation, Kyanna pushes forward.

"Bels, I'm not mad at you, okay? Tonight I got to go out with a super-sweet girl who did everything she could to show me a good time. And you know what the best part was? I brought her home, she hung out with my son, and she didn't think any less of me because I'm twenty-one and a mom."

"Philip's a beautiful boy, Kyanna, and you're a wonderful mother." She doesn't think there's anything wrong or bizarre about those facts, but Kyanna's eyes fall away.

"Not everyone's ready to stick with me and find that out. That's why you're so important to me, Bels. I can take you out for a crazy night, but I can take you home too, and I know you're not gonna freak that I've got a kid. To me, that's pretty damn exciting."

Kyanna closes the distance between them again. She places her palm on Beli's knee, and she bundles the fabric in a fist as she fights to find her words.

"I guess what I'm saying is –" Words fail, so Kyanna leans forward and pecks her quickly on the cheek. "Gracias. It was a little rocky, but I really had fun tonight."

Beli doesn't know what to say, she's still reeling from the quick, electric impact on her skin. "Y-you're welcome," she stammers. "It was a neat experiment."

"Experiment? Bels, you're talking like the date's long over."

"But, I mean, isn't it?" Beli rasps that out; her throat is suddenly parched.

"Not by my count."

Beli swallows tightly as Kyanna's arm slides back around her shoulder, drawing her far closer than a friend would ever dare.

The first kiss is soft and testing, a quick peck on the lips – over in an instant, but it sends Beli tingling all over, bathing her in the warmth of sunrise.

They pause, breathe and - sensing no objections - Kyanna presses in again, touching their lips together a second time, then a third. Beli parts in a gasp and Kyanna's tongue runs around her open lips before diving in for a long and satisfying meeting of mouths.

They pull apart with a satisfied sigh. Kyanna's heavy eyes search her own for approval.

"That was … different," Beli gulps. Softer, smoother. No less aggressive then the men she's kissed, but gentler, more attentive. This wasn't a kiss to steal or horde pleasure; this was a kiss in offering.

"Different good?" Kyanna checks.

"Different very good," Beli nods back, and that's all Kyanna needs to hear before she leans in for more.

They add their hands to the mix this time, fingers slowly exploring the lengths of each other's arms as their mouths and tongues greet. Every soft smack of their lips makes Beli's heart flicker like a lighter, sparking a tiny flame in her chest. The heat snaps up for only an instant, but Beli instinctively craves its warmth, and she presses in closer, tighter. Kyanna scoots forward, sitting herself atop Beli's lap with a hungry smile.

"Mm, you're a helluva kisser, belleza. Sure you haven't tried this with another girl before?"

"Just guys," Beli pants back, "and they weren't anywhere as good as you."

The kisses come faster, heavier; a frantic energy pushes them onward like they're standing on tip-toe, straining to catch a glimpse of the sun through a too-high window. Just a little more, Beli thinks, just a little further - until they're both kneeling on the couch, arms tangled around each other's back and in each other's hair, desperately searching each other for a faster way to stoke the fire burning between them.

Kyanna's hands circle from her back to her chest, hunting wildly for the zipper to Beli's top. Feverish with heat, Beli allows her to wander; tips her head back and enjoys the wandering. Just a little further, just a little –

In the bedroom, Philip's sneeze bursts like a gunshot. Both of them freeze on the spot.

Reality slowly filters into Beli's fogged-up brain. She gets a close-up of Kyanna's tangled hair, recognizes her own hands burrowed shamelessly in those ebony fields. Heavy breathing assaults her ears and it's her own lewd panting. Kyanna has the look of a child caught in the cookie jar. Her hands still hold fast to Beli's half-opened zipper.

Beli pulls away reflexively, stunned and speechless at her loss of control.

They both listen for a breathless moment.

"I think he's back asleep. We're probably okay," Kyanna decides. A hungry light returns to her eye as she shimmies forward but Beli backs away, unnerved by her friend's sudden, intense desire. The Latina winces.

"Sorry. Guess that was a little fast for a first date. Shit, you probably make guys wait a whole month before they even get a kiss."

Not necessarily, Beli thinks.

"I've … moved pretty quickly before," she admits. "It's just … it's never lasted long after we've been … intimate."

"Oh."

"Mmh."

They sit in the dim light, catching their breath and smoothing their hair. When Kyanna approaches again, Beli watches cautiously, but instead of pawing and groping, her friend's arms encircle her, hug her carefully.

"We can stop here if you want. Just cuddle 'n stuff. Doesn't have to be all rollercoasters."

Kyanna's on her best behavior but Beli feels the warm hands circling over her back, searching for any remaining embers that might re-ignite her flame. Kyanna's nose rubs over her cheek; her lips kiss lightly down her exposed throat. There's a worry, a nervous plea to the Latina's careful touches, like she's terrified of losing everything in a single blunder.

It's a feeling Beli knows intimately.

Beli breathes deeply, then she extracts herself from Kyanna's embrace. It's a struggle simply to breathe, to stand up, but she forces her trembling hands to her collar, tugging her zipper to her navel and shrugging her hoodie to the floor.

"I want this," she whispers. Her hands work quickly while she still has the nerve, stripping off her sweatpants. In the dim light, her white undergarments glow softly. "I want you."

Kyanna is transfixed. "Beli Lapran, are you wearing a thong? In a butterfly design?"

Beli glances down at the sparkling white wings spreading from between her legs. "…Yes?"

"Rawr! And here I thought lingerie shopping freaked you out." The Latina growls softly as she peels off her own shirt and shucks it to the floor. Beli does her best not to stammer at the black and lacy bra.

"Oh, I mean I didn't buy it new. It's an old thing. I mean, there's online shops and well … their packaging's … discreet?" She tries to compose herself but Kyanna's standing up and slowly unzipping her skirt. "I buy myself something every once in a while. As a treat."

"And you've been keeping this goodie drawer all to yourself?" Kyanna teases. Her loose skirt drops to her ankles.

"I don't want people thinking I'm … that way. And it's fun, having a secret. Something just for you and … those that mean a lot to you."

She folds her arms and looks away. Kyanna is speechless.

"Holy … Bels, you're making me blush here."

Newly humbled, they both hesitate a moment. Beli realizes it's nothing she hasn't seen before, that Kyanna's flaunted bikinis just as revealing, but this - soft, black silk embroidered with white lace, the thinnest of straps running along her thighs - this is sacred. A sight deemed only for her eyes.

Kyanna takes her into her arms, kisses her softly on the mouth. "I wanna share everything I've got with you, belleza. I wanna make you feel so good. Let me?"

Beli's breath shudders through her lips, floored by this most intimate offer. "I..." Words fail her, so she simply deepens their kiss. She opens her palms in offering, and Kyanna interlaces their fingers. Her friend guides her back to the couch.

"Show me," Beli whispers.

Kyanna leans back on the cushions, guiding Beli to straddle her hips. "Sit up, Bels. I wanna take a good look at you." Kyanna's hands cup her cheeks, and her friend simply holds her a moment, just looking and admiring.

Being on top, sitting in the lap of another woman - it's all so new and nerve-wracking, but beneath her worries Beli feels her chest thrumming with nervous energy. Kyanna's hips are a sacred altar and she is the goddess placed high on a pedestal. She's always been a means to an end, a pathway for another's pleasure but tonight Kyanna intends her to be worshiped and adored. Every touch is for her satisfaction alone.

Kyanna's breathing comes faster, growls harder as her eyes take in their fill. "I wanna touch you, Bels. I wanna kiss you, hold you, and feel you up all over that gorgeous body. But you gotta work with me. So whenever I do something you like, you say 'yes'. Kay?"

"Yes," she repeats. It's not a confirmation, just a release of need, but it's all the same to Kyanna. The Latina shudders in anticipation as she sets her hands in motion.

Beli closes her eyes and enjoys the cool caress on her neck, the fingertips gliding over her shoulders. "Yes."

Kyanna's hands travel down her arms, taking her bra straps with them. A detour to her back, a tug to unclip, and Beli groans in release as her undergarments fall from her chest. "Yes…"

Kyanna cups her swollen breasts, thumbs circling over her tender nipples. "Yes … anh- yes…"

The pleasure is excruciating, but Kyanna's only just getting started. Hands caress their way down Beli's core, circling her hips. "Yes…" Moving as if under a spell, Beli's pelvis begin to rock. Kyanna's set a tempo and her body obeys - swaying and thrusting with the carnal dance. "Oh yes!"

Beli burns under the skillful touch until even the barest of undergarments she has left feel hot and unbearable. When Kyanna's hands reach around her elastic ties, when her fingers artfully pluck the hidden clips and cast her butterfly to the carpet, her lungs heave in release.

"Y-yes! Yes!"

One hand holds her in place at the hip, while the Latina's other hand retraces its journey up her body and to her mouth. Beli doesn't think, she just takes Kyanna's two fingers inside her. Her head bobs to the rhythm of her aching hips.

Yes. Yes…

When Kyanna's satisfied, she pulls her fingers back and traces them down Beli's chest. "Oh yes!" The wet tips feel so cool and soothing against her burning stomach, but Kyanna trails further still until her wetness finds Beli's own.

Kyanna squeezes her hip firmly. "You ready for me?"

Heat is steaming up all over her body, overwhelming her senses. Beli senses herself back on that rollercoaster, on the precipice of a great fall. She feels the urge to clench her eyes, to bury her face in shame.

Instead, she opens her eyes wide, rests her hands on Kyanna, her altar. She's ready to fall, ready to entrust herself; to know that Kyanna will catch her without fail.

"Ready?" Kyanna repeats.

"Anh yes. Yes. Yes!" It's not a confirmation, it's a plea, and when Kyanna's hand complies, Beli throws her head back and she soars.

Sweaty and exhausted, Beli watches Kyanna from underneath the cool sheets adorning the Latina's bed. The single mother pads across the bedroom floor, casually naked as she rocks and soothes Philip, head squirming atop her bare breast.

In the end, it wasn't her moaning and howling that woke Phily, but the chorus of sleep-deprived neighbours banging on the apartment walls. Kyanna endured the intrusion at first, far more interested in prolonging her lover's ecstasy, but then Philip really started wailing and her mommy instincts kicked in.

Beli remembers her undignified squeak as a pissed-off Kyanna dragged her by the arm into the bedroom, her blind panic that she was going to be tossed out.

The Latina simply stripped herself bare, deposited a quick kiss on her lips – "gimmie a sec," she winked – then Beli found herself laid across the bed for safekeeping while Kyanna tended to her howling babe.

Lying here in bed … it's strange, Beli reflects as she rubs her legs along Kyanna's silky sheets. The same sheets that embrace Kyanna's naked body every night. She's been shooed out of bed after the deed was done - roommates on the way back, so they said - and she's limped away wincing with her clothes in a bundle. To each short-lived relationship there's remained a shameful constant, a feeling of being used and discarded.

But being invited back to bed? Welcomed into another's chamber for no other reason than to lay down her head and rest? It's as unfamiliar as another woman's touch, and just as wonderful. A blush steals over Beli's face as she takes the bedsheets to her face and breathes in Kyanna's scent.

Oh, how she could get used to this.

"Shh," Kyanna whispers to her boy, "dulces sueños, mi conejito."

Kyanna's back is turned to her, and Beli's eyes flash guiltily from her friend's buttocks to the child's head across her shoulder. Seeing Phily rest so easily … a pang of worry sets in. She's an interloper on this family.

She has to know.

"Um, Kyanna, what're you doing next Friday?"

Kyanna doesn't reply right away, and Beli can't tell if she's being made to sweat it out, or if the Latina is just being cautious as she lays her child back in his crib.

Kyanna turns to her, ebony locks framing her full-bodied breasts, and she saunters to the foot of the bed, enjoying the nervous stammer her approach elicits. Then she takes a flying leap onto the bed, worming under the covers. Arms wrap around Beli's shoulders, legs entangle with her own, and a happy face nuzzles into her breast.

"Next Friday? No plans."

Beli swallows carefully, trying not to lose herself in the kisses Kyanna is dotting along her collar. "And the Friday after that?"

"Mmh. No plans." Kyanna's lips nibble a line down her breast, and Beli has to clench her teeth to reply.

"And the Friday after that Friday?" Kyanna finally lifts her head and grins.

"Bels, I've got three things in mind for my Fridays. Number one," a kiss, "taking you out on the town for some fun. Number two," a nip, "taking you to bed and snuggling your brains out. Number three," a flirty grope, "waking up next to your sexy, naked bod and making breakfast for my boy and my belleza."

Kyanna lays overtop her chest and flashes a smile.

"I've got nothing planned, Bels. I'm all yours."

And Beli throws her arms around Kyanna's neck and holds her dearly, doing her best not to sob like a fool. "I have a girlfriend," she laughs. "What am I going to tell my mom?"

"Tell her if she sets you up on another blind date, he's buying dinner for three," Kyanna growls.

They laugh and embrace each other, kissing quickly and throwing glances crib-side to make sure Philip's not stirring. A thrilling rush swells up in Beli's heart, like she's a bird soaring through stormy skies – out of her element but absolutely safe, secure in the knowledge that Kyanna is by her side, holding her steady. With joyous tears in her eyes, she tightens her grip as though she could hold this woman – and this moment – forever.

"Now then," Kyanna purrs as she slithers down beneath the covers, "where were we, Miss Lapran?"

Beli tilts her head and gasps, but she doesn't dare close her eyes. She doesn't dare let a single moment, pass her by. She wants to drink in every beautiful eternity she spends with Kyanna Delrio, knowing their pleasures will only grow with every moment spent together.

And as delicious and dangerous as Kyanna is making her feel right now, her heart is already longing for the rush of their next Friday night to arrive.

Fin