Their plane was set to leave at six thirty in the morning so Peridot decided they may as well not try to sleep, saving it for the plane.

They planned to leave the house at four and grab breakfast at the airport terminal. They had packed most of their belongings, but at two they were making the finishing touches and checking to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. They had, but it was nothing too serious, just a toothbrush that they promptly stowed in the front pocket of their luggage.

They trudged up and down the stairs and were so used to Lapis's bedroom door firmly shut and so preoccupied with packing that they hadn't noticed it had been left open. Not until Lapis slipped out of her room and intercepted Peridot in front of their room.

"Gah!" Peridot jumped, dropping a few pairs of socks. Lapis bent to pick them up. Peridot watched, only half-believing because of course Lapis would want to make amends at the very last second.

She didn't apologize or mention their previous conversation, clearly embarrassed and avoidant of that topic. She wanted things to move on as before, without a quarrel, and felt the only way to do that was by pretending nothing had happened.

Peridot allowed her that because they didn't want to leave on a sour note. They would discuss things again on Monday- Tuesday if Peridot got jet lag.

"When does your plane leave?" Lapis asked conversationally.

"Sev.. six," Peridot replied. "Why?"

"I can drive you to the airport," Lapis offered.

"You're being awfully nice, Lazuli."

"Don't you think I've been awfully mean?"

"Less so than some."

Lapis tucked the socks in the crook of their arm and followed them to their room. She helped pack as much as cat did, that is, she 'supervised,' sprawled out on the bed, face supported by the heel of her hand, reading a comic book.

Occasionally, one of them would say something; in those moments she temporarily set the book down. It didn't look like much to an outside observer, but that was often how they enjoyed each other's company.

Peridot drove to the airport. Lapis would drive the car back home. They were not morning people and Peridot presumed Lapis hadn't slept at all either. So the drive was silent but not awkward. It was a warm companionable silence, occasionally punctuated by laughter, a comedy podcast playing in the background.

There was a moment that Peridot saw Lapis's hand begin to drift towards theirs, only to retreat, forlorn.

Peridot saw traces of the action again near the line to airport security as they began to say goodbye. Lapis bit her lip and looked like she wanted something but was afraid to act on it. Peridot knew what it was.

"You can hug me, Lazuli." And expressing this, they wrapped their arms around the tall, slender woman, who only hesitated for a second before returning the friendly embrace.

X

The plane ride was a solid four hours and felt a little bit like time travel due to the time zone difference.

They picked up their luggage from the conveyor belt and hailed a cab to the hotel. They had two hours to spare before the conference started. Peridot truly needed the time to decompress after the flight and to put on professional dress. In the line through airport security, they had passed a few business professionals in suits and knew the men and women were uncomfortable. One person had glanced at them with snide jealousy for wearing pajama pants and a loose fitting shirt and sneakers. There might have also been a touch of judgment, since their hair was in disarray and there were deep bags under their eyes, but it was true of everyone else who didn't have to go straight to a work meeting after landing.

In line for the hotel concierge desk, Peridot's phone buzzed. It was an email from Amethyst, asking if their plane had landed.

[I'm at the hotel now. Waiting in line.]

[Sweet! Want to grab breakfast?]

There were several floor-length mirrors in this hotel, both broadening the room and bolstering its image. Additionally, the mirrors showed Peridot that they were in no shape to make a good first impression.

[I have to get cleaned up first.]

[I think you look just fine.]

Peridot squinted at their phone. [What do you mean?]

[Look up.]

Waving at them from the entrance was Amethyst. In the flesh, her presence was surreal and Peridot suddenly felt they were dreaming. If it was a dream, they weren't going to fight it. [That's only because you're all the way over there. You can't see how tired I am.]

Peridot stared between their phone and Amethyst ten yards away, awaiting a response.

"I'm going to take a closer look!" Amethyst shouted from the other side of the room. The guests and the hotel workers seemed to have followed Amethyst's line of sight and suddenly Peridot felt like everyone was staring at them.

This increased tenfold as Amethyst dashed to meet them.

"Hey." She was panting slightly and was the only person Peridot had ever met who was the same height as them (children didn't count). She was the most dressed Peridot had ever seen her, wearing a baggy black, purple, and white flannel shirt and black jeggings. Her tennis shoes were worn, the left shoe wrapped with a strip of duct tape that flashed silver under the light.

And she was even prettier in person: large cat like eyes lined with winged eyeliner, long hair pulled back in a ponytail, her roots showing black under the platinum dye job.

Her infectious laugh drew Peridot back to where they were standing, in the hotel lobby, waiting in line to check in.

"Earth to Peri-saurus Rex! It's your turn in line!"

Conscious of their temperature rising, they fumbled with their wallet and gave the concierge clerk their I.D. Then they turned their attention to Amethyst. For the first time, there wasn't a screen in between them or laggy Skype calls. Amethyst's voice was crisp and clear, and her hand, her everything, was just inches away.

She was real. Peridot didn't feel so real themself.

They scarcely remembered the clerk returning their I.D , the room key included. They did not recall walking to the room, head and stomach full of clouds. It was only when the door closed behind them and Peridot set their luggage on the bed that things made sense again, although, they were still convinced they were dreaming.

Amethyst was sitting on the bed, unabashed. This rubbed in the fact that the other woman was straight and only expected friendship between them. If there was a chance that Amethyst liked them, Peridot thought, then she would be just as shy as they were right now.

"Breakfast?" she asked.

"I still need to wash up." Peridot sighed. "And get dressed. I don't think I'll have time."

"I can go grab something," Amethyst offered. "I think I saw complimentary donuts downstairs." She sprang up and said she would be right back. Before she left, Peridot gave her the spare room key.

Peridot made sure to lock the bathroom door after confirming that all of the clothes they would need were in there with them. They undressed quickly, showered quicker, but Amethyst still beat them back. They heard the door to the room click from the other side and hurried up dressing.

As they dressed, they kept their back toward the mirror, looking up towards the ceiling. And when they emerged, Amethyst was sprawled on the bed again, this time with a paper tray full of donuts that she was already eating from.

She waved and said something, crumbs and sprinkles falling over the front of her shirt. Peridot was still in disbelief that she was here, on their bed. They had hoped the short passage of time would have helped them acclimate to this reality.

Nervously, they sat next to her, space between them. Amethyst handed them a donut with frosting stuffed with jam and something to drink.

"Orange juice?" Peridot wrinkled their nose, reading the label.

"What? You don't like O.J. ?"

"Don't you think the acidity of the orange juice tastes. . . unusual with the donuts?"

But of course, this was Amethyst. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, said offhandedly that Peridot sounded like someone she knew.

And then she turned on the TV and funneled through the channels until she found something interesting: pro wrestling.

"I've already seen this one," she said. "It's great."

Peridot felt the matches were longer than they needed to be. They did like watching the wrestlers' bright garish entrances and the commentary. More than that, they liked Amethyst's animated reactions. Occasionally, she mimicked a wrestler's moves without thinking, and more than once she accidentally swatted Peridot in the face.

"Sorry!" she apologized again.

Peridot shot their best scrutinizing look at her and then stuck out their tongue to show they were joking. Amethyst laughed and laughed. God, that laugh.

When they were out of donuts, Amethyst lowered the volume of the TV and turned to Peridot. She seemed fixated on something.

"You know, I can do your makeup for you before you leave."

Peridot snorted. "Makeup?"

"Just to cover up your dark circles. Remember when you said you looked dragged?"

"I don't really mind it."

"You wouldn't even let me look at you earlier."

Peridot almost blurted out that that was different.

"It won't be girly. Promise."

They might have fought it more if Amethyst hadn't taken them by the chin for a closer look.

"Gotta take these off first."

Amethyst allowed Peridot to take their glasses off and rummaged through her makeup bag.

Peridot watched her, hesitating, then set their glasses on the night stand next to the electronic clock, within reach.

Peridot couldn't see. That made them nervous. Then, Amethyst's touch was there again, and they became nervous in a different way.

Her touch was neither delicate or careless. It was rough, purposeful. Close. She was so close

Many times Peridot had wanted to reach through the screen and caress her, kiss her. Now they found they couldn't bring themselves to. All that pining, all those brazen thoughts, had just been that: thoughts.

They were content with Amethyst initiating physical contact, even if it was just to apply moisturizer, cream, and foundation to their face. The pads of Amethyst's fingers dolloped on cream similar enough to their skin tone. The makeup sponge made Peridot's nose twitch as it swiped over their face in long, clean stretches.

"Big Sis always said not to leave the house without makeup - not that I always listened."

"Are you implying I shouldn't?"

"Just makin' conversation, P."

And somewhere in the back of their mind, Peridot wondered if Amethyst was using this as an excuse to touch them. As that thought crept in, the memory of that bar of text on Amethyst's Stupid Cupid profile came to crush it.

Straight.

So then, Amethyst was just being helpful or bonding- as friends.

"All done," Amethyst announced.

Peridot put their glasses on and got up to look in the bathroom mirror. They did a slight double take. The person reflected there looked bright-eyed with clear skin and...

"I have eyebrows," Peridot whispered.

Amethyst nodded. "You have eyebrows. I filled them out a little. Eh, you don't really care how I did it, do you? So, want me to do your hair too? We still have time, right?"

"It's a lost cause. But yes, we do still have time so if you would like to make an attempt, you can."

Peridot sat back down and held their glasses in their lap. This time Amethyst sat behind them. Peridot's hair was still wet so Amethyst gently ran her fingers through their hair. There were no tangles to snag plump fingers and Amethyst said their hair was soft, "like duckfluff."

Amethyst's breath fell on the nape of their neck as she spoke and strands of dyed hair found a way to drape over Peridot's shoulder blades. She smelled like sweet, cinnamony funnel cake and when she spoke each syllable was flecked with laughter.

She rummaged through her makeup bag again, this time for a can of mousse. Peridot recoiled at the thought of something setting in their hair, but they wanted Amethyst to run her fingers through their hair again and so relented. It wasn't as bad as they thought. The mousse was soft and dissolved on contact.

It was over too soon after that. Amethyst drew back, slipping off the bed and walked around to face them.

"How do I look?" Peridot grinned. They had yet to see themselves in the mirror but they were positive of the outcome based on how Amethyst fixed her own hair. (She claimed she did 'jack shit' to her hair but Peridot was skeptical because it was long and soft. They could barely grow their own hair past their shoulders.)

"Terrible!" Amethyst barked.

"T-terrible?!" Peridot tensed. This was bad. They had to go to the conference in less than thirty minutes-

"I'm joking."

". . . Oh."

Peridot immediately put their glasses back on, more for their own comfort than to see what they looked like. Amethyst guided them with a push to the bathroom mirror to see.

Their hair was moderately tame, enough that Peridot noticed a difference.

"I call this look 'I just got laid' hair," Amethyst presented sagely.

Peridot colored, an image coming to mind. "Thanks. . .."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"N-No!" Peridot jumped to attention. "I guess I'm just speechless. I've never seen my hair this neat before."

Amethyst smiled, accepting the lie. Peridot had been thinking about what Amethyst had said and imagined the woman's hands in their hair again, tugging it, unintentionally styling it in the throes of passion. As if reading their expression, because Peridot was a poor liar, Amethyst stepped closer and cupped the back of their head, fingers threading through hair.

"You're going to mess it up," Peridot mumbled.

"Nuh uh. Just tweaking it a bit. . ." she murmured and Peridot thought her breath tasted sweet, like glazed donuts and icing, before their phone alarm suddenly chirped and they snapped apart.

Peridot spun around, looking for their phone. They heaved a sigh, silencing it and kept their back turned, their entire body on fire. The makeup was probably melting off their face.

"Sorry!" they slapped a hand over their mouth, self conscious that it had raised a pitch.

"Gotta go?"

"Y-yeah," they stammered, picking themselves back up, holding their phone close to their chest, heart pounding.

"See you later?" Amethyst's voice sounded hopeful.

Peridot nodded, still unable to face her. "There will be a break for lunch. We could try your 'Aqua Mexican' place."

"Sure! Yeah. Hey, what's your number? I can't believe we've been talking all this time and I don't have it."

Peridot recited their number. It didn't require a lot of thought. Their voice was deceptively calm, even robotic.

They jumped a little when their phone buzzed against their chest.

[Heeeey!] Amethyst's favorite winkie face emoticon was included in the message.

Peridot muttered that they were going to be late, still clutching the phone to their chest as they walked out of the room together.

"So. I'll text you when they let out for lunch." Peridot said looking at the floor. They couldn't look her in the eyes again. Not after Amethyst had touched them, not after that fantasy had sliced through their composure like a knife.

Not since they had been so close.

They parted ways and Amethyst shouted down the hall, "It's a date!"

Peridot would have stopped in their tracks if they weren't running late already.