Sameen and Root stared up at the Concert Center, admiring it. Sameen glanced over at Root, trying to gauge how she felt. Sameen had seen nice buildings before. She used to travel a lot when she was younger and her parents always made sure she experienced the area's culture. This building was nice, but it had nothing on Prague.

Root looked like she was in shock, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. Sameen frowned, wondering why Root was so impressed. She remembered Root's history. She was poor, so poor she had to steal from her mother. Root had probably never seen a place like this before, never worn a dress as nice as the one she was wearing.

Sameen swallowed hard, something she didn't recognize making her stomach clench. She wanted Root to experience everything. She wanted Root to have anything she'd ever wanted. Sameen would drop out of school right now and work full time if it meant Root could go to a good college. Root worked so hard for everything and got so little in return.

Sameen reached out to take Root's hand, getting Root's attention. She smiled up at her.

"You look stunning," Sameen said quietly, trying her best to look as sincere as possible.

Root laughed and rolled her eyes. She wiped her face with her free hand, carefully trying not to smudge her make-up. "You, too. Like a princess."

Sameen chuckled. "No one has ever called me a princess before. Come on, let's go inside."

They gathered the bottom of their gowns, Root adjusting the way her purse's chain hung on her shoulder, and walked up the steps into the Concert Center. The lobby was huge, all white marble and giant glass windows. Sameen admired the way the chandeliers made the glass pins in Root's hair sparkle. Her hair was up in a bun, her long, delicate neck bare.

Sameen ran her eyes down Root's back. The dark, wine red of her sleeveless gown accentuating Root's pale skin. Root raised an arm, the muscles in her back rippling.

"Look," Root said, pointing up at the painted ceiling, "isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes," Sameen murmured, looking up at Root's face, "it is."

Root glanced back at her and smiled. They walked around the lobby, moving towards the doors into the space. They still had a bit until the doors would open. Sameen hadn't wanted to be late. Root led them to a tall table and they leaned against it. Root put her purse on the table and slid the gold chain off her shoulder.

Sameen looked up at the painting on the ceiling. It was a picture of space, although the snooty people here would probably call it The Cosmos or something dumb.

"It's like fate," Root said wistfully. "I wonder who painted it?"

"I don't know," Sameen shrugged. "We can look it up later, though. They might sell postcards here. I can get you one."

Root grinned at her and nodded. Sameen smiled to herself. Root kept looking around the lobby, like she was trying to memorize everything. Her arm stretched out.

Sameen looked at Root's hand, the nails shinning with a fresh coat of black paint. Root had bought them matching rings for Sameen's birthday and they wore them every day. Sameen twisted hers around her finger. If anyone had told her she'd be ok with doing something as sappy as wearing matching rings, she would have punched them, but here she was, wearing Root's ring and not feeling weird. That made her feel weird.

Sameen leaned on the table and let her gaze drift up Root's arm and land on her collarbones. Root had borrowed the HAM Radio necklace she'd given Sameen last year. Neither of them really wore jewelry and Sameen's dress was cut high across the neck, so she didn't want to wear a necklace. It looked good on Root, the arrow hanging just above the top of her dress.

Sameen's eyes lingered on the necklace before dropping down. Root was so thin that they'd had to buy a smaller belt to tie around her waist. It looked good, though. Root looked good.

"You know…" Root said, making Sameen's eyes shoot to her face. Root smiled, her eyes twinkling, and leaned towards her playfully. "…if you look at your crush the way you're looking at me now, I bet she'd be putty in her hands."

Root winked and Sameen felt her temperature rise. Her heart skipped a beat and she pushed herself away from the table, crossing her arms. Root really knew how to get under her skin. Sameen swallowed and tried to erase the image of Root in her hands.

"If I knew a fancy dress would make you so conceited, I would have told Mom to get you something else," Sameen scoffed.

Root didn't answer and Sameen looked at her. Root was grinning. Sameen scratched her eye, feeling awkward.

"What?" Sameen demanded. "What's that look for?"

"You called Mrs. Reese 'mom,'" Root replied.

Sameen tried to remember what she'd said. Had she called Mrs. Reese 'mom?' She supposed it wasn't an odd thing to do. She'd been living with Mrs. Reese for over a year now and Mrs. Reese was her legal guardian and adoptive mother.

She looked at Root and saw her typing on her phone.

"What are you doing?"

Root glanced at her, then resumed typing. "I'm texting John. He owes me 20 bucks."

"For what?" Sameen growled. "Did you bet on me?"

"Yup," Root said, unabashedly. "He put money on you holding out another year, but I knew you already thought of her as a mother."

Sameen rolled her eyes and turned away. She wasn't really annoyed. Root always made her feel warm inside, but now, on Valentine's Day, in this fancy theatre, Sameen felt unbalanced. Her complicated relationship with emotions was only growing in complexity.

She liked Root and, if Sameen was honesty with herself, she could love Root in the future. How was that possible? How did Root make her feel things her own parents hadn't been able to?

The lobby lights flashed and Sameen shook her head, pulling herself into the present. Root picked up her purse and held her hand out for Sameen to take. They walked up to the theater doors and Root dropped Sameen's hand to pull the tickets out of her purse.

They walked into the space and Root gasped. Even Sameen was impressed with the sheer size of the space. The ceiling was high above them and shiny wood panels covered everything. The back wall of the stage was a floor-to-ceiling organ, giant and looming.

Root grinned at Sameen and they went to find their seats.

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Root looked out the window as they rode back into Bishop. It looked like the Valentine's Day Concert was still going on in the park. She turned to Sameen, excited.

"Hey, want to stop by the park? I want Martine to see how good we look and be angry."

Sameen chuckled and bumped her turn signal on, turning right and rolling into the parking lot. Root grinned and kicked her shoes off. There was no way she was going to try and walk across this field in her high heels. The car stopped and she jumped out, raising her skirt off the ground.

Sameen stepped out of the car and walked around it. When she got to Root, Root could see she wasn't wearing shoes either. They started for the crowd.

"Remember last year?" Root asked, grinning. "I threw up on you."

"Oh, I remember," Sameen rolled her eyes, carefully picking her way through the grass. "It was…actually the worst. I was naked."

Root sighed regretfully. "I know…"

Sameen glanced at her and then focused on the ground again. Root was having fun teasing Sameen. Now that she knew Sameen like girls, and liked Root, obviously, she felt lighter than she had in months.

Root watched Zoe's band play for a minute before spotting John, Joss, and Lionel in the crowd. She tugged on Sameen's arm, turning her in the right direction. John saw them and waved.

"Wow," Joss breathed, shaking her head, "you guys look amazing!"

Root shrugged, casually brushing hair from her forehead. "What, this old thing?"

Joss laughed and lightly smacked her arm. "How was the show?"

"Perfect!" Root gushed. "The woodwinds were brilliant. I almost cried several times."

"She did cry," Sameen clarified, smirking. "Several times."

Root rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder against Sameen's. Sameen had pulled out a handkerchief during the performance because Root couldn't stop blubbering. It had been an amazing experience. She hoped that she could see another show in the future. Maybe she'd make enough money to buy Sameen tickets next time.

"Have you seen Martine?" Root asked, standing on her toes to look around. "I want her to be jealous of us."

Joss shook her head. "I don't think she's here. She and Lambert broke up."

"Again?" Sameen scoffed. "Didn't they just get back together? Those two are the worst."

Root pouted. "Damn, we'll have to find another reason to dress up."

"You could go to prom next year," Joss suggested. "We can get you tickets."

"Ooh!" Root grinned and turned to Sameen. "Let's go to prom!"

Sameen rolled her eyes. "Seriously? You wouldn't prefer a lobotomy?"

"I'll work on her," Root said to Joss. "We'll be there."

Sameen opened her mouth to retort, but Lionel cut her off.

"Are you guys going to hang around?" He glanced at his watch. "Or can I catch a ride home?"

"Leaving already?" John looked down at him. "We're not good enough company for you?"

"Listen," Lionel said, gesturing widely, "hanging out with you three makes me want to claw my eyes out. Seriously, it's disgusting."

"That hurts," John pressed a hand against his chest. "That cuts deep."

"Sorry, Lionel," Root sighed, head tilting, "we've got other plans."

"We do?" Sameen asked her, confused.

Root winked at her. "You bet your butt we do."

Sameen flushed, her face darkening. She cleared her throat and nodded sharply, turning around and heading back to the car. Root grinned and waved goodbye to their friends. She lifted her skirt higher and jogged to catch up with Sameen.

Sameen unlocked the car and they opened their doors and sat down.

"Where to?" Sameen asked when they'd buckled in.

"The train," Root answered, reaching behind herself to unzip her dress. She saw Sameen staring at her and reached out to push her head forward. "Drive!"

Root wiggled out of her dress, letting it slide of her legs onto the floor. She picked it up and folded it carefully, dropping it onto the dashboard. The car started backing up, Sameen turning in her seat to look out the back window. Root leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Sameen's nose when she turned back to the front.

"Don't watch me," Root ordered, climbed between their seats to the backseat.

Sameen pulled them onto the road and headed for the train. "What are you doing?"

"Changing!" Root answered.

She reached over the backseat and lifted a duffle bag from the trunk. Dropping it to the seat next to her, she unzipped it and pulled out her pajama shirt. She'd brought them sleep clothes to wear for their sleepover in the train.

Sameen didn't know it, but Root had strung fairy lights up in their clubhouse. She'd built a small portable battery that lasted almost two days and plugged them in before she went to Sameen's to get ready earlier. She'd also paid Elias to buy them a bottle of champagne. That kid was weird, but he would do anything for a price.

Root pulled her shirt over her head, running a hand over the faded Belgian Malinois on the front. Sameen had bought this for her ages ago and Root wore it most nights. She scooted forward and leaned between the seats to talk to Sameen.

"I brought pajamas," she said. "You can change when we get there."

Sameen laughed. "I shouldn't be surprised you had something planned."

"No," Root said, poking Sameen in the cheek, "you shouldn't be."

They arrived at the train and Sameen parked the car a few yards away from the train tracks. Root grabbed the duffle bag and hopped out of the car. She realized that they had to walk across the tracks and she was barefoot. It was too dark to walk across the train tracks without shoes. Even with the light from the moon, Root couldn't see the ground clearly.

Sameen appeared in front of her in only her bra, her underwear, and a pair of sneakers. Her abs were covered in a thin sheen of sweat, already hot in the night air. Root blushed.

"Why are you naked?"

Sameen crossed her arms. "I'm not bringing that dress into the train. It's a nice dress and a rusty train."

Root laughed and held out the duffle bag. "Well, here. Put your pajamas on."

"No," Sameen shook her head, "we both know I'm going to end up sleeping like this, so what's the point?"

"What's the point?" Root muttered to herself, chuckling, as she tossed the duffle bag to the ground near the car. "I don't have shoes to wear. My feet are going to die."

Sameen turned around and bent her legs, offering Root her, very muscular, back. "Here, I'll carry you."

"Um," Root's eyebrows drew down, "I'm like a foot taller than you."

Sameen straightened up and glared at her. "Ok, you're like six inches taller than me and I'm really strong. It's not a problem." She resumed the piggyback position.

Root shrugged helplessly. She'd hoped she'd end up pressed to a shirtless Sameen at some point in the evening, but she hadn't expected this. She walked forward and hopped up onto Sameen's back, lifting her legs around her waist. Sameen's stomach was warm against her bare legs. Root wrapped her arms around Sameen's shoulders.

"Is this ok?" Root asked her, resting her chin on the top of Sameen's head.

Sameen bounced Root, adjusting her grip. She started walking to the tracks. "You weigh like 100lbs soaking wet. I'm fine."

"You really are strong," Root said, hooking her fingers under Sameen's bra straps. "I'm impressed. You could really get the ladies like this."

"I've got a lady," Sameen grunted as she stepped over the tracks. "One who overprepares some things and underprepares others."

"Well, I'm not a boy scout, Sameen. I had to learn all on my own."

"I wanted to be a boy scout," Sameen said, stopping in front of the train, "but I am, unfortunately, not a boy."

Root slid down Sameen's body, keeping them in full contact. "Nope," she murmured, "You're all woman."

She felt Sameen shiver against her. Root stepped away and hopped on the train, crawling across the blankets she'd laid out earlier. She kept a cooler in the train, stocked with snacks and juice. She opened it and pulled out the Champagne bottle.

She turned around and held the bottle up, wiggling her hips at Sameen as she climbed into the train. Sameen laid down on her side, one hand holding up her head and the other resting on her hip. She looked amazing, framed by the stars and shadowed trees. The string lights cast an orange light on her, making her golden skin glow.

Root swallowed nervously. She was going to make her move tonight. Hopefully, the lights and the Champagne and the excitement from the concert would carry her through. Root moved to sit next to Sameen and crossed her legs in front of her.

She put the bottle in her lap and started peeling off the gold foil. Sameen reached out, laying a hand on Root's leg, her fingers lightly scratching. Root's fingers slipped and sliced herself on the sharp foil.

"Ow," she muttered, holding her finger up to the light. A small line of blood formed.

She started moving her hand towards her mouth, but Sameen caught it. Sameen leaned forward and put Root's finger in her mouth, sucking lightly. Root's heart stopped and she froze. Normally, she'd spout off some fact about saliva healing wounds and it's natural to want to lick them, but watching Sameen's lips wrap around her finger brought her brain to a halt.

Sameen pulled back and looked at Root's finger. She smiled up at Root.

"Looks good," she said, "be more careful."

Root rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. She'd been distracted by Sameen's hand on her leg, so really Sameen should be more careful.

"Where'd you get this?" Sameen asked, tracing a finger down the bottle, leaving a line in the condensation.

"Elias," She answered, getting the last of the foil off. "I tracked him down a few days ago."

"A few days ago?" Sameen asked her, sitting up. "You really planned this out."

Root glanced up at her. Sameen looked the same as always, calm and unreadable. Root wondered if she was nervous at all, if she knew what Root wanted.

"I wanted it to be perfect," Root said quietly. She started untwisting the wire around the cork. "Why are there so many layers to this?"

"Probably to keep it from exploding," Sameen chuckled. She watched Root's hands as they removed the wire. "Do you want me to pop it?"

"Sure," Root handed the bottle over. "Point it outside."

"Obviously," Sameen rolled her eyes, shifting on the blankets, "I'm not an idiot."

Root watched as Sameen's thumbs pushed at the cork. There was a loud pop and foam started pouring from the bottle. Sameen held the bottle away from herself and Root dove forward, twisting to stick her mouth under the stream of Champagne. She swallowed quickly, but still ended up wet.

Sameen laughed at her as the foam stopped. "Good job. Now you're all wet."

Root winked at her, the effect lost as she wiped her face. "I'm with you," she joked, "what do you expect?"

Sameen watched her through hooded eyes. Root's stomach flipped and she swallowed hard. That was not a look she'd seen on Sameen before. Root didn't know what it meant. Had she gone too far?

Sameen reached behind her to put bottle on the ground and turned back to Root. She walked on her knees, stalking towards Root like a predator examining its meal. Root's stomach clenched, her body tingling under Sameen's steady gaze.

"You missed a spot," Sameen said, swinging a leg over Root's hips. She leaned forward onto her hands, her mouth inches from Root's. "Right here."

She pushed Root's head to the side and leaned down, licking a long line up Root's neck and leaving a trail of goosebumps. Sameen hummed into Root's neck, making her toes curl.

"Thanks," Root gasped, her hands clenching in the blankets below her. "I don't, um, want to be sticky later."

Sameen shrugged, smirking. "I just wanted to help. I'm a helper."

Root rolled her eyes. She reached up slowly, resting her fingertips on Sameen's waist.

"Sameen?" Root said, looking up at Sameen's face.

Sameen's head dipped down and pulled away again, her eyes fixed on Root's lips. "Yeah?"

"I like you," Root whispered. Sameen met her eyes and Root shivered with nerves. "A lot."

Sameen closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to Root's and shifting down to rest on her elbows. Root closed her eyes, her hands tightening around Sameen's waist. She pulled Sameen down on top of her, the weight on her hips grounding her.

Sameen shifted one hand to pull the pins out of Root's bun, throwing them aside. She tangled her fingers in Root's hair and Root gasped into her mouth. Sameen's teeth nipped at her lips and Root's back arched, pressing her stomach against Sameen's.

Root felt hot and full, like she could finally let go, let herself sink into Sameen. She wrapped her arms around Sameen's back, pushing her even closer. Sameen's mouth trailed across Root's jaw and moved to her neck. Every time Sameen bit down, Root's hips jerked up.

Root scratched her nails down Sameen's back, drinking in the long moan Sameen let out against her collarbone. This was home. Sameen's body against hers, Sameen's mouth against hers. Sameen. Sameen. Sameen.

Sameen lifted herself back up, pushing onto her hands. Her hair hung down from her shoulders. Root turned her head to look at Sameen's arms, strong and sweating in the warm, Texas air. Root looked at her face, panting.

"We should do that again," Root said, her heart pounding in her chest. "Maybe not out here, though. Somewhere with air-conditioning…and a dry blanket."

Sameen grinned and lowered herself again, sucking Root's bottom lip into her mouth and releasing it with a wet pop.

"I agree," she said, pulling her leg over Root again and sitting to the side. "We should kiss all the time."

Root turned onto her side and watched Sameen pull her hair into a ponytail. She was hesitant to do anything that might ruin this new thing between them, but she had to know, had to hear Sameen say it.

"Do you like me?" Root asked, hating how small her voice sounded and how small she felt. "I'm not trying to be needy or anything. Don't think that I'm like that. I know you need space, I just – "

Sameen pressed a finger to Root's lips, looking serious. "Of course, I like you, idiot. I've liked you since the first day of school."

"Since-" Root sat up, frowning. "What? Seriously?"

Sameen rolled her eyes, her hands in her lap. "I didn't know that's what it was then, but yeah. I was mean to you because I liked you."

"You've…" Root rubbed a hand over her forehead. "We have been friends for a year and a half and all this time, we could have been dating?"

Sameen shrugged, scratching her cheek. "I mean, I guess. I wasn't exactly in a place for that, but if you had asked-"

Root punched Sameen in the arm as hard as she could. "I have been dying! Stressed out! So, worried about everything that I did or said and you just…what? Let me struggle?"

"Root, I didn't know! This emotion thing is new to me! I still can't promise that I won't fuck it up."

Root shoved her finger in Sameen's face, her face drawn down in a scowl. "If you fuck it up, I will kill you. I will figure out how to hire an assassin and murder you."

Sameen leaned back, pushing Root's finger out of her face. "Uh, Root? We're 16. I can't promise you forever or anything."

Root squinted at her. Sameen was right. Logically, Root knew that, but Root's heart, the part of her that told her aliens were real, that told her she was meant for great things, also told her that Sameen was going to be with her forever. They were meant to be.

Root sighed. Sameen would come around. She'd already gotten over her freak out last summer; she'd see that she and Root were going to last.

"Ok, Sameen," Root said, running her hands through her hair, "at least promise me for now."

Sameen leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Root's mouth. She pulled back just enough to talk. "I promise you six months, at least."

Root rolled her eyes and closed the distance.