a/n: hi all,
Part 1 of 2;
I mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter that the upcoming chapters could include some mature/explicit content. To give readers the option to engage or not, I've divided this week's chapter into two. This first chapter alludes to but does not include anything I'd consider mature/explicit level. The second chapter does.
As a general note, I do not intend to change the rating of this story because of one or two chapters. Instead, my plan is to include a disclaimer at these few instances.
Cheers,
EQT.95
"Have you ever used this chair for sitting?" Sophie called from the bedroom as Kate strolled past from the hall. Sophie saw Kate's fingers snag onto the door frame before swinging herself back toward Sophie.
"What chair?" Kate asked, her head floating in the doorway.
"This one?"
Kate's head cocked to the side as she examined the mound of clothing Sophie was pointing at. The 'pile' was relegated to the corner of the room, caught between two walls and the bed.
"Huh."
"Is this where you tell me you didn't know there was a chair under here?"
"Now that you mention it, I think I remember seeing one. Might be a dark purple? Or black? Or…" Sophie lifted the pile of clothes off the seat. "Oh, yea, grey, ok," Kate nodded, her memory flashing back to the one or two times it wasn't adorned with half her closet. "You mind leaving that pile though? It's in order."
"This is in order?" Sophie muttered quietly as Kate's head disappeared from view. "What order?" she asked to the empty doorway.
"Hm?" Kate called back.
"I said," Sophie began, raising her voice before sighing in exasperation. "Oh, nevermind."
She let the pile collapse from her arms back onto the forgotten chair and followed Kate's trajectory back into the living space.
"What'd you say?"
"Nothing," Sophie said. Her eyes struggled to refrain from rolling. "Are you packed?"
"Uh…"
"Kate."
"What if we just like... didn't… go?" Kate asked. Her voice was at a pitch Sophie had never heard, and her face was contorted with forced indifference to the point of being hyperbolic.
"Do you not want to go?" Sophie asked. This was the fifth time in as many days that Kate had posed the question.
"No, I… I want to go, I'm just making sure…"
"And what about the first four times you asked gave you the impression I was waffling?" Sophie asked.
"I… don't know?"
It was the day of Evan's birthday party. 'Party' was an understatement. State gatherings didn't even carry this level of pomp and circumstance. He couldn't have chosen a more over-the-top way to celebrate it. Not only was the rooftop terrace of Gotham's most prestigious hotel booked for the occasion, the top three floors had been blocked off for the guests to retire after an evening of indulging in the finest Gotham's elite had to offer. Kate didn't know what he had planned, but if previous birthdays were anything to go off, they could expect anything from a cocktail bar crafted from solid ice to aerial dancers swinging overhead for 'light entertainment' during the cocktail hour. The one tradition held that consistently every year was the finale: a thirty minute firework and light show over Miller Harbor.
"It's his gift to the people of Gotham," Kate offered sardonically one night days earlier.
"His gift? You're joking, right?"
"Those are his words," Kate quickly clarified. "In celebration of his birth, he bestows onto the people a glimpse of joy off the harbor," she said, her voice elevated as though officiating some grand declaration.
"Couldn't he just… I don't know, give that money to charity?"
"But then what would Evan get out of that?" Kate quipped back.
When Kate initially described the festivities Sophie thought she was making the whole thing up. Birthday parties for her meant bonfires, slumber parties, or, if you were Nathan Bennett, a trip out on the family sailboat for an afternoon. The concept was so absurdly lavish that half of the things Kate rattled off would never have landed on Sophie's radar a year earlier.
Kate's world was a strange one. The more time she spent in it - even if it was observing from the sidelines - the more she wondered how Kate had remained so normal.
The packing was the final step - excluding travel - and Sophie found herself confronting the same resistance she'd been met with for the last week. They were supposed to leave for the hotel in an hour. The party started in two, and Kate, in classic fashion, was leaving everything to the last minute.
"Kate."
"What?" Kate asked, distractedly wandering toward the couch.
"Would you stop freaking out."
"I'm not."
Kate replied with such practiced control that anyone other than Sophie might have believed her.
"Yes you are," Sophie pressed, watching the subtle ways her girlfriend squirmed from the edge of the kitchen. "You may take after the Kane stoicism, but you're not fooling me."
They stared at each other, a moment of silent communication penetrating Kate's blank expression. It wasn't the expression Sophie interrogated. It was the slight way Kate's eyes shifted to avoid eye contact. It was the way her hands sat shoved in her pockets because she didn't know how else to keep them busy.
"I just don't want you to have a bad time," Kate finally confessed, plopping on the couch for added exasperation.
"Then let's have a good time," Sophie replied easily, crossing the grand space toward her girlfriend.
"Because that worked so well before," Kate argued.
The implied meaning was not lost on Sophie. Instead of taking the bait though she played ignorant.
"I dunno," Sophie smirked, falling with an eagerness befitting a child onto the couch next to Kate, "you said there'd be a chocolate fountain…"
"Yea but last time… last time it didn't - I didn't…"
"Then don't."
"What?"
"Don't let it be last time," Sophie offered softly. It had taken nearly two weeks for Kate to admit her reservations, and Sophie was prepared. Yes, the last time Kate brought Sophie out to meet her friends it ended poorly. Yes, Kate left her stranded with not one but two former flings. Yes, conversation pulled Sophie's inexperience to the forefront of her mind. And yes, Sophie learned more about Kate than she was prepared for.
But that was then. That was before. They weren't the same couple from a year ago, and that was all the confidence Sophie needed to eliminate any concerns for how the night would unfold.
"How did I get so lucky?" Kate asked, hearing all of the forgiveness and optimism in Sophie's response.
"You? I'm the one living rent-free in one of the fanciest penthouses Gotham has to offer," Sophie smirked, accepting the soft kiss that Kate leaned in to give her.
It was meant to be a quick kiss. But lately a quick kiss never ended at the first kiss.
Instead, time and programme faded. Instead Sophie felt a warm glow that had nothing to do with the evening light burning through the windows into the flat. Instead the kiss deepened.
Kate's hands travelled slowly then quickly to Sophie's waist. Sophie's hands reciprocated, pressing into Kate and sending her back into the couch.
Kate didn't fight, surrendering to Sophie's guidance and falling back onto the plump cushion. Sophie's weight shifted to crawl over Kate, keeping their lips locked.
Kate's hands split, one gripping firmly at Sophie's thigh while the other slipped under her shirt. This encouraged Sophie to lean in. Suddenly the space between them didn't exist, and Kate felt her body betray her, thrusting into Sophie without permission.
Terror gripped Kate, and she froze, tearing her lips from Sophie.
"Wh-"
"I should pack."
After clumsily making her excuse, Kate had retreated to the bedroom to properly chastise herself for letting things get out of hand. It was becoming a constant source of worry for her that every mistake, every slip-up would only scare Sophie away. It was more than on her mind. It was on her every second of every day. She woke up to it and fell asleep to it, and that only made everything worse. Every touch, every glance, every quip was now second guessed. Her entire existence was strained through a filter to ensure she wasn't saying or doing anything taboo.
The couple had left the loft and taken a car to the hotel in relative silence. Like all previous times this too remained undiscussed. It was brushed under the rug. It was filed away. It was rolled up, slipped into a bottle, capped, then tossed into the ocean.
If only it were that easy. The unfortunate thing was that, just because they didn't talk about, it didn't wipe their memories clean of the moments. And for as much as those moments haunted Kate, the lustful side of her that incited those reactions was drooling over every tiny detail of each memory. That made it worse.
The hotel was ninety-stories tall, making it the second tallest building in Gotham next to Wayne Tower, and given that hosting a lively event on the top of a corporate building wasn't exactly the romantic setting Evan was looking for, this second-best was best.
It was the second-fanciest room Sophie had ever been in; the first being when she'd stayed at the same hotel months earlier for her Wayne Tech interview. That's not to say the room Kate had booked wasn't exquisite; in fact the layout and finishes were the exact same. The difference was the view. Sophie's previous room had been somewhere around the thirtieth floor, with direct views into the heart of the city. This room sat on the eighty-eighth floor, floating above the city with a view out over the harbor.
Upon arrival the couple had silently retreated to different parts of the room: Sophie to the bathroom and Kate to… well, the room-room.
"Hey, you gonna be much longer?" Kate called from the edge of the bed.
She'd slowly gotten ready; first changing, then distractedly flipping through the tv, then scrolling through her phone. She had just finished sculpting her hair into place and was now idly flipping through the hotel's welcome brochure. The click of a door caught Kate's attention and she looked up to see Sophie stepping out of the bathroom.
"Nope," Sophie said.
"You... look… " Kate flailed, her brain nothing but mush and instant lust for the woman standing in front of her, "uh... g-good," Kate coughed out, her heart pulsing so hard she could hear it beating in her ears. She could've sworn her cheeks were the color of cherries for how flushed she suddenly felt. Dizzily her eyes scanned the full lengths of Sophie's attire, wanting to absorb every iota of it as she stood to meet her.
Her typically up hairdo was down, falling in loose curls onto her shoulders. She was dressed in a deep blue blouse that climbed to sit snugly around her neck before falling and draping over her breasts and tucking into a pair of skin-tight black pants that left Kate's imagination buzzing. A pair of matching blue heels put her above Kate's height. That alone would have been enough to send Kate down a path of no return, but paired with the rest of the outfit, she was completely beside herself.
"Not your best word," Sophie teased, clearly unaware of the effect she was having on her malfunctioning girlfriend mere feet away.
"Only because I can't think of a word that would satisfy how stunning you look," Kate said, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.
"I…" Sophie flushed when Kate pulled away.
"Yes?"
"You're good," Sophie said, struggling to come up with even a half decent retort.
"And the night's still young," Kate smirked, causing Sophie to feel another wave of warmth in her cheeks. "Ready?"
"Uh… Yes, uhm... D-do you have the key card?"
"What, no pockets in yours?" Kate replied dryly, taking note of the skin-tight way Sophie's pants clung to her legs as she slipped the plastic card from her own as proof.
"Funny."
Kate smirked before slipping her hand onto Sophie's back. It was intended to be a light gesture to usher her to the door. Instead it nearly caused her to recoil in surprise when it landed, completely uninhibited, onto smooth skin. With it came an all-too familiar desire that surged through her which she quickly sidelined.
Kate chanced a glance and nearly sighed with relief. It wasn't that her entire back was completely exposed. That surely would have done Kate in. Instead it was only the lower back exposed, contrasting with the snug fit around her neck at the front and stopping just below the bra line. Even this did little to temper the disorienting desire flooding through her.
"Does Diane Moore know her daughter is dressed like this?" Kate smirked, falling back on humor to deflect from the other thoughts dancing at the edge of her mind.
"Diane Moore doesn't need to know everything," Sophie replied mischievously.
Kate's brain overloaded. Her only option was to gawk. So she did.
"Ms. Kane and guest…?" said a tux-clad mustachioed man with a clipboard. They had immediately been identified upon exiting the elevator onto the top floor.
"Yea, Sophie Moore," Kate answered with a practiced smile. Sophie glanced curiously between Kate and the gentleman, clearly inexperienced in the ways of rich people and their greeting habits.
"Very good. Apologies Ms. Moore, we didn't have your information on file. Ms. Kane, just one moment for your beverage."
"Beverage?" Sophie mouthed in confusion.
"Evan likes to take care of his guests. That includes collecting an uncomfortable amount of information on everyone for moments like this," Kate chuckled softly as a similarly dressed man arrived from a side room with a caramel fluid-filled low-ball. "I would hate to be one of his clients."
Kate accepted the glass with a quick thanks and the couple were ushered onto the terrace. The sun had set and the city-lights were on full display. There was the added intimacy of low-lit chandeliers seemingly floating above space.
"Do you think -"
"Real crystal? Definitely," Kate said, tracking Sophie's open-mouthed gaze to the overhead twinkling pieces.
The theme, if there was one, seemed to be… subdued?
Propped up around the terrace were easels adorned with abstract paintings. Some were simple patterns of boxes and primary colors while others were very clearly of objects painted in a more geometric form. At first glance they appeared entirely out in the open, but a small reflection highlighted that each piece was clad in a protective box. At the edges were two fully-stocked bars. Between were various seating arrangements. All around them people were milling about, chatting, laughing, and contemplating the different artworks. It wasn't as crowded as Sophie imagined, but perhaps that was the point.
"Well, he definitely outdid himself again," Kate said with a small whistle.
"Am I missing something?"
"These are all Mondrian paintings."
"Who?" Sophie scowled, suddenly feeling unprepared for her exposure to Gotham's elite.
"Piet Mondrian," Kate explained lightly, sliding her hand casually around Sophie's waist. "Modern painter from… well, actually I'm not sure. It was before World War II, I think. I don't actually much care for his later stuff," Kate said, pointing to one of the paintings of boxes and primary colors. "But his early studies in cubism were great."
"Who are you?" Sophie asked.
"What?"
"Are you some secret art guru?" Sophie pressed.
"Oh, hardly. But even Kate Kane is bound to remember a thing or two if she hangs out with me long enough," came a voice from behind them.
"Evan," Kate said, turning in surprise. He was decked out in his own version of a Mondrian painting: fitted black pants, a bright yellow button up covered by a fitted red blazer. The blue? His pocket square tucked neatly into place. His blonde hair was loose and wind-tousled from hours outside, and his skin was sun-tanned like he'd spent the last two weeks on a beach in the Mediterranean. This was particularly confounding given that Sophie knew Evan didn't make it a habit of leaving Gotham.
"Not bad. Mondrian's earliest works are dated to the early 1900s. He didn't get into cubism until after a 1911 exhibition in Amsterdam. The 'early stuff' Kate is referring to is that 1911 piece called Gray Tree which Kate has had her eye on for years."
A quick eye roll of exasperation neither confirmed nor denied this tidbit, and Sophie was about to prod her for clarification when Kate pivoted away from art.
"Evan, you remember Sophie," Kate said, reintroducing the two. "Soph, you've met Ev-"
"Oh my god, wait is this the same one?" Evan gaped, snapping out of his art dealer alter ego and registering Sophie's presence for the first time.
Sophie felt the grip around her waist tighten.
"Yes," Kate replied coldly.
"And you two… are together-together or just like…?" The raised eyebrow of insinuation was enough to make the rest of his question clear.
If glares could kill, Evan Blake would have been a pile of ash. But instead of backing down, Evan's smirk seemed to grow. Sophie wasn't sure if it was because Evan was vindictive or just enjoyed instigating. She couldn't help but imagine Riley Thomas and Evan Blake would make quite the pairing.
She felt Kate's hand twitch in frustration.
"Together-together," Sophie inserted lightly.
"Oh my," Evan openly gawked. "My, my, my. Katie Kane, you went off to school and grew up without me. I'm hurt."
"We all know you'll never really grow up, Evan," Kate shot back, and a playful smirk graced Evan's lips.
"What can I say. Too many things to see and people to do," Evan shrugged. Sophie felt Kate's grip loosen, and suddenly the tension was gone.
"Don't you mean people to see and things to-"
"He doesn't," Kate interrupted.
"I don't," Evan grinned wider, allowing a small chuckle of amusement past his lips. "I see Kate has her usual. What are you drinking tonight Ms. Sophie?"
"Oh, I-"
"Come, we're getting you something," Evan said, beckoning her over with an extended arm. "No, Kate, you stay. I want Sophia here all to myself," he said when they both moved to join him.
Kate was doing a poor job of containing the uncertainty on her face. She glanced protectively between the two. Sophie offered a small smile of reassurance before she felt the release of Kate's hand from her waist.
"Are you just visiting?" Evan asked when they'd gotten out of Kate's earshot.
"No, I, uh, I've got an internship in the city."
"Where?" Evan asked casually. For as antagonizing as he was around Kate, his questions were surprisingly… normal.
"Wayne Tech?" Sophie said. She wasn't sure why she sounded unsure in her delivery, and immediately cursed herself as Evan appraised her with an amused grin.
"So you two have been here all summer and this is the first I've seen you," he pouted. Before Sophie could articulate an attempted apology he continued: "Tell me, when did you two get back together?"
Sophie didn't know what she expected, but there were two things that caught her off-guard by this: the first was that Evan knew Kate and her had broken up at all; the second was that there wasn't an ounce of judgement in his voice.
"April," Sophie replied automatically, unsure how much to disclose.
"That brat. Doesn't tell me anything," Evan scowled, waving over the bartender. "One vodka, neat and…?"
"Uh…"
"What do you normally drink?" Evan asked, the ghost of a smirk playing across his face.
"I've had the whisky Kate drinks and… beer?"
"She'll have the Malbec," Evan said to the bartender.
"I don't know what that is," Sophie said hesitantly.
"It's a French red. Now then, how are you two?
Sophie eyed him quizzically. "Good. We're staying at Jacob and Catherine's place for the summer while they're over in Italy."
"Curious. I've never known Kate to miss out on an international opportunity," Evan hummed.
"Uh, yea… it was a surprise. I hear you're not much for it," Sophie said, trying to pivot the conversation away from her and Kate's relationship.
"And Kate?" Evan asked, not taking the bait.
"Oh, uh, she's good? Y-you could just ask her…" Sophie answered, stammering in confusion. She glanced across the room to where Kate was half-engaged in another conversation. She assumed it was only half because her eyes were wholly on Sophie and Evan. She shot her a quick smile and saw Kate visibly relax.
"She deflects too much," Evan explained, taking the vodka placed before him and missing Sophie and Kate's exchange.
"She has that way about her," Sophie agreed, taking the wine glass being offered to her.
"She likes you."
Sophie blinked. "Oh. I… I like her too."
Evan sighed into a sip of his drink.
"No, sweetie, I'm not so sure you understand."
"That is… probably accurate," Sophie muttered. It was already a surprise that he knew what he knew. His vague insinuations weren't helping her catch up.
"What I mean is this: our Kate Kane does not 'like' easily. In the ten years I've known her nothing has broken through that girl's fortress. Until you."
Sophie swallowed, unsure how to respond, so she didn't.
"You understand she is hopelessly in love with you, right? So hopelessly, in fact, that no one is ever going to be able to put all of that," Evan said, gesturing toward Kate, "back together when you break her heart again."
"I-I'm not going to," Sophie jumped in, her eyes wide with surprise at the sudden accusation. "I don't want to."
"Not going to and not wanting to are two very different things, Sophia. You didn't mean to do it the first time either, I'm sure," he said, taking another quick sip.
"I… no."
"No," Evan agreed, gesturing at the bartender for another as he tossed the rest of his drink back. "I like you, Sophie."
Sophie's eyes narrowed skeptically, earning a small chuckle from Evan.
"Yes, fine, that's a lie. I actually know nothing about you, really. But I like you because Kate likes you."
Sophie nodded, not really sure what to make of anything.
"The thing is, I'll always like Kate more. I love her like a bratty step-sister. And she's the one I'll be there for again if this goes south. I didn't much care for it the first time; that girl carries dark in her better than the devil himself." A visible shudder shook Evan's shoulders. Whether it was for show or not Sophie wasn't sure. "The last time she hit that low was… well, I'm sure you know."
Sophie didn't know, but she could guess, and that guess was like a punch to the gut.
"Oh, honey, no, no, don't take me too seriously," he said, seeing the concern contorted on her face. "I've been drinking since six. This is a party - we're supposed to be having fun," Evan said, waving his hands in a gesture befitting his own party. "I just want you to know that if you ever, and I mean ever hurt her again, you'll have more than your own regret to deal with."
"I wouldn't… understood," Sophie choked out. She didn't know what else to say. Through it all Evan's face remained light and smiling; practiced presentation, Sophie imagined. She was both terrified and swimming with gratitude. Her memory of Evan Blake was that of an instigator, enjoying the discomfort his words brought to a conversation. While that hadn't necessarily changed, she also saw a new layer: one where he cared for Kate - in his own way - and that meant everything, even if it was displayed as a veiled threat.
"How's it going over here?"
The pull of Kate's hand around Sophie's waist had returned. It didn't disappear Evan's words, but it provided an unexpected comfort.
"Can I steal my girlfriend back now, or are you still gabbing nonsensically at her?" Kate continued, her face mirroring the practiced smile on Evan's face.
"It's my party, remember? I get first dibs on all the most fabulous guests," Evan smirked, returning to his usual self.
Sophie kept her eyes on the red wine as Evan and Kate shared a few words that didn't matter. She nodded and smiled as Evan parted for some unfamiliar face, leaving the two alone.
"Hey," Kate whispered, her lips close to Sophie. "You ok?"
"I love you."
If Kate was surprised, she didn't show it. "I love you too," she replied, her voice light but with a trace of question in it.
"No, I… Kate, I love you. I don't ever want to not love you."
Kate watched a tear threaten Sophie's eyeliner. She didn't know what spurred this, but she was sure Evan had gotten up to no good again.
"Deal," Kate replied with a smirk.
"What?" Sophie asked, blinking the moisture away.
"That's a hell of an offer, Sophie Moore. You've got yourself a deal."
"I… really?"
"Really."
The next three hours flew. Sophie was introduced to more people than she would ever remember. Conversation and drinks flowed freely, and the crowd slowly got rowdier with relaxed energy. Curiously Sophie noticed Kate remained clutching the same, unfinished drink as they hopped from conversation to conversation. Sips were reserved, and they seemed to be used to hide frustration or nerves.
Somewhere during the first hour they ran into Molly and Rachel, separately at first then in a larger group. Kate's fingers subconsciously found their way onto Sophie's back, sliding over the smooth skin and curling under the fabric to her waist. The conversations were harmless, but that didn't temper the guarded way Kate seemed to be approaching the entire night.
It was during the second hour that Sophie finally saw Kate visibly relax. She had suggested they check out the art, and Kate blossomed out of her controlled mood. She spouted bits of knowledge she recalled from Evan waxing poetic about the art before eventually giving up entirely and weaving fiction into the tour:
"He painted this one on a train; nearly got himself kicked off for spilling a palette of cerulean blue on a passenger."
"Oh?" Sophie smirked.
"Mhm," Kate continued, her face perfectly composed as she bluffed her way through the latest explanation. "It's why the amount of blue is so subdued."
"And what about this one?" Sophie asked, pointing to the next one.
"Oh, that one? He did it after winning a game of high stakes checkers."
"I see. That explains the controlled grid," Sophie added.
"See? You're a natural," Kate smiled.
A flip switched after this, and they returned to the crowd more relaxed than the couple had been all day. Kate finished her drink, and Sophie fetched them both another: Scotch for Kate, malbec for her. When she returned, Kate was visibly glowing, partaking in conversations with the casualness she always had for social gatherings. It made Sophie relax.
Well, almost.
Kate's hand slipped around Sophie's waist again. It had become a habit throughout the night for Kate. It had become a distraction for Sophie.
The problem was that, where Kate found comfort, Sophie felt a small fire. It had begun casually enough: Kate's fingers skimming lightly over her exposed skin. It served as a gentle reminder that Kate was near, supportive, close by. The way Kate touched her became a silent form of communication. Sophie knew when Kate was frustrated, happy, or bored by the way her grip tightened, relaxed, or played against her skin.
But as the night progressed and Kate relaxed, the touches stopped. These absences sent a craving through Sophie for physical contact. When the fingers did appear, it became a desire for more. There was a frustration building in her that eroded her ability to focus on the conversations, the banter, the laughter.
She felt a need to kiss Kate. Her nerves kept her from doing it for most of the night. Until, that is, the desire outweighed those nerves. Then she did. She was still nervous. It was quick. It was soft. Kate smiled in surprise. It wasn't enough. She kissed her again. It only stoked the fire. It still wasn't enough.
She watched Kate eye her curiously before a voice stole her attention back to the conversation. Sophie tried to hear the words Mike or Mark or… Martin? She scowled. Yes, Martin. She listened to his dull commentary about… bridges? Kate looked interested. Sophie wasn't. How could she be when Kate's fingers were dancing over her skin? Kate offered a well-timed laugh. Sophie didn't hear a joke. She didn't hear a joke because she wasn't actually listening. She smiled anyway.
She waited for the conversation to end, for Martin to excuse himself to get another drink. He asked if either needed a refill. Kate said no. Both of their glasses were still full. He departed.
And then they were alone. That wasn't true. They were surrounded by a hundred people. Kate was saying something to her, but she didn't hear. She wanted them to be alone.
"Hey," Sophie whispered suddenly in Kate's ear. "Do you wanna get out of here?"
Sophie watched Kate do a double take, her smile from seconds before falling.
"Wh-?" she asked confusedly. "Is everything ok?"
"Yes," Sophie lied. She didn't know how to say it. She didn't know how to articulate this need building inside her.
"Oh, uh, ok… but it's not even eleven, and Evan has that whole light and fireworks thing rigged up for midnight and we… we…" Kate trailed off, her head tilting as she scrutinized the look on Sophie's face.
"Are- you mean-?" Kate began but stopped. The question didn't need finishing. The words weren't required for Sophie's message to ring loud and clear.
"Y-yea," Kate stumbled. "Of cour- let's, yea we… we should get our jackets."
"We didn't bring jackets," Sophie replied evenly, trying to conceal the fire growing inside of her.
"Uh, right, yea, we-we should-"
Sophie placed her hand on Kate's arm. The gesture was simple, yet Kate felt her entire body erupt with warmth. "I'll take this," she said softly, grabbing Kate's unfinished drink from her fingers, "you say goodbye to Evan, and I'll meet you at the elevators."
Kate nodded dumbly, barely registering her surroundings against the pulsing in her head. She watched Sophie walk away from her without another word. The white noise of the music and idle chatter all but disappeared as she gawked unabashedly at her girlfriend. It took a waiter bumping into her to shake herself from the shock. It took another moment to shake herself into action, a strange terror and excitement building. She'd spent so long trying to stay firmly on her side of the line until Sophie was ready. And, unless she misread the look in Sophie's eyes, that 'until' was right now.