-Too Damn Close-

Arms wrapped around Sam's waist and she flinched, her body becoming tenser still when she registered the familiar scent of lavender and vanilla.

Carly…

She flushed all the way to the tips of her ears and squeaked, "You mind letting go, Carls?"

"Why?" There was an odd note in her voice that made the blonde fall absolutely still. She didn't even breathe.

Finally, she whispered, "Holy Christ."

She was going to spontaneously combust at this rate.

"Mm?"

"You're, ah…" 'Too damn close.' Sam cleared her throat and looked around nervously: there was no one to save her from this sweet torment. "Let me breathe, woman."

When her grip only tightened, the blonde released a nearly-inaudible whimper, her senses going haywire.

This was bad.

"Your heart's beating really fast," Carly observed quietly.

There was a solid 'thunk' as Sam's forehead hit the locker door in front of her. She fervently wished the ground would swallow her up before she died of embarrassment.

"A-are you okay?"

"You're killing me, Kid…"

"How?"

Something inside of Sam shifted—something horribly ballsy that she had buried deep down around the time she had come out to her mother—and she turned around in Carly's grip, reaching out to cup that lovely face and, after a moment's hesitation, plant a single, sweet kiss on pale pink lips. When she pulled away, part of her appalled at what she had done, part of her not giving a damn because she had just kissed Carly friggin Shay!, she was met with a blank look.

Oh God. "S-sorry, Carly, I don't know what I was—"

The panicked utterance was stopped by the gentle press of lips against hers and she squeaked, that blush spreading its way across her shoulders.

Okay, now she was going to combust.

"Am I… The one you like?"

She sighed, letting her head fall forward so that her forehead rested against Carly's, their breath mingling as her heart continued its 300-yard dash.

"Duh…"

A smile spread across the brunette's face—blindingly brilliant in its utter happiness. "Sam…"

Ba-bump. Could it be?

"H-hey, don't look at me like that. Geez."

"I like you, too."

She… didn't know what to say to that.

Then, they were kissing again. Affectionate. Sweet. Warm.

Too. Damn. Close.

The shrill ring of the late bell brought them back to reality and they blushed, Sam biting her lower lip and Carly smiling shyly.

"We should get to class."

"Y-yeah."

And, yet… Not close enough.