Alex shifted the plastic containers in her arms, juggling them until she had a hand free to knock on the door of Steph's apartment. Steph opened it a moment later, giving Alex a huge smile that she couldn't help but return.

"Hey! I, uh, made you more thit kho," Alex said, holding out the containers to Steph as her words came out in a rush. "And I got more of those Pocky sticks since you said those were your favorite."

Steph's grin grew even wider as she took the food from Alex. "That's really sweet. But you didn't have to do that."

"I know." Alex shrugged as she glanced down at the floor, then back up at Steph. "But I wanted to."

Steph's smile grew softer, and she stepped back so Alex could come inside and take off her shoes. Steph set the containers on the table next to the couch and picked up the package of Pocky sticks. "Did you go all the way back to Denver for these?"

Alex shook her head. "No. I found a store that had them in a town about half an hour from here. But I would've gone back to Denver for them if I had to."

Steph raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean you would have made Ryan drive you to Denver."

Alex huffed. "That's not the point!" She stepped closer to Steph and put a hand on her shoulder. "Steph, I'm making a romantic gesture and I need you to accept it, not pick it apart."

Steph nodded as she laughed softly. "Okay, okay, yeah, romantic gesture accepted. Thank you for all this. And for asking to cook something with me." She leaned forward to press a kiss to Alex's cheek. "That was also a very romantic gesture."

Alex rubbed the back of her neck as heat crept up under the collar of her shirt. "I know, turns out I'm full of those. Who knew? Definitely not me." She cleared her throat and gestured toward the kitchen. "What, uh, what are we making today?"

Steph picked up the containers Alex had given her before walking to the kitchen, stopping to put them in the fridge before turning around and clasping her hands together. "We're making the perfect breakfast food: waffles."

Alex scoffed and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure the perfect breakfast food is pancakes."

Steph gently smacked her hand on the fridge. "Excuse you, this is a pro-waffle, anti-pancake household and I will not tolerate that type of slander."

Alex laughed and held up her hands with her palms facing forward. "Okay, I'll keep my breakfast food opinions to myself for now. But only for today. Because I'm definitely going to prove you wrong later."

"Not likely, Chen. I'm going to change your mind today when we make the best waffles ever."

"I doubt it, Gingrich, but let's get started anyway."

"Okay." Steph pointed to the counter behind her where two waffle irons were already plugged in. "The waffle irons are heating up over here, and I've got the recipe on my phone. You can measure the dry ingredients while I get the other stuff ready."

Alex nodded and moved to stand next to Steph, checking the recipe for measurements as Steph set each ingredient in front of her. She mixed together some flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar while Steph melted a few tablespoons of butter in the microwave. Steph dumped the butter into the bowl as well before filling the measuring cup with milk.

"Can you heat that up while I get the eggs?" Steph asked, pointing to the measuring cup while she opened the fridge again. "If we put the milk in cold it'll make the butter solid again."

After heating up the milk, Alex added it to the bowl while Steph cracked two eggs into it and added some vanilla extract.

Steph reached into a drawer and pulled out a large spoon. "Now we mix it. The recipe says to use a mixer, but I am not enough of an adult to own one of those, so we're just gonna do it by hand. We can take turns when our arms get tired." She held out the spoon to Alex. "You can take the first shift."

A few minutes of stirring later, the mixture was ready, and Steph moved the bowl next to the waffle irons. She opened each iron and covered each side with cooking spray before scooping some of the batter into each one and closing them securely.

"Okay," Steph said, stepping back from the counter. "Now we just have to wait a few minutes and we'll have waffles. I'll get out everything else we need."

Alex sat down at the table as Steph got out plates, utensils, butter, and syrup before turning back to the waffle irons, spearing them with a fork to move them onto plates.

Steph set the plates on the table before sitting down across from Alex. "So, the first ones always come out just a little bit weird, but all the others should be perfect."

"You know," Alex said, leaning forward with chin resting on her hand. "With pancakes, every single one you make comes out perfect right away. Even the first ones."

"What? What was that?" Steph said loudly, cupping her hand next to her ear. "Sorry, I can't hear you over how good this waffle is going to taste."

Alex rolled her eyes and picked up a knife to spread butter on her waffle. "We'll see, Gingrich. We'll see." She poured syrup over it as well before taking her first bite. "Oh, that's really good. Not as good as a pancake," she said quickly when Steph opened her mouth to say something. "But still good. What made you such a big waffle fan anyway?"

Steph shrugged, looking down at her plate as she added toppings to her own waffle. "There was this diner in the town I grew up in that made the best waffles. I ate so many of them when I had to stay up late studying. And when I was traveling playing music with my band, the hotels we stayed at almost always had waffles as part of the free breakfast. They definitely weren't as good as the ones from the diner but being free made them taste a little better." She set down her fork and gestured toward the waffle irons. "Do you want to make the next ones?"

Alex nodded and moved to the counter, carefully scooping more batter onto the irons before closing them. She was about to turn around again when a blue aura appeared around one of the irons, shifting slightly as steam wafted through it. Careful not to get too close to the hot metal, Alex held out her hand and pulled the memory into her mind.

Steph was sitting at the table with her arms crossed and her chin resting on her forearms, watching gloomily as steam rose from the waffle irons on the counter. Sadness weighed heavily in her chest, a slowly churning cloud laced with bolts of loneliness that made her want to curl up in bed and never get up again.

There was a knock at the door and Steph groaned. "It's open," she called after a moment.

Gabe entered a second later, his face brightening when he saw the waffle irons on the counter. "Oh, hey, waffles!" He took off his shoes before jogging over to stand across from Steph. "Wait, you had a date tonight, right? Are these happy waffles or sad waffles?"

Steph dropped her head down so her forehead was pressed against her forearms. "I'm gonna die alone."

Gabe sighed heavily. "Okay. Definitely sad waffles, then. The date didn't go well?"

"It was another shit show." Steph raised her head to glare at Gabe. "Why do I keep letting you convince me to stay in this stupid town?"

Gabe poked Steph's forehead, smiling when she swatted his hand away. "Why do you keep trying to convince yourself that you want to leave? I know you like it here, even if you won't admit it."

Steph huffed and sat back in her chair as she crossed her arms over her chest. "What about Haven Springs is worth staying for? It's a tiny town in the middle of nowhere that only ever attracts hikers and tourists. And only straight women, apparently. I had to drive almost an hour for that disaster of a date."

"Oh, come on. There's lots worth staying here for. Like your job at the record store. There's no other place like it, and you get to host your own radio show."

"Yeah, my radio show that, like, five people listen to."

"No, it's definitely more than five people. It's gotta be…seven at least. Sometimes maybe even eight."

Steph rolled her eyes and made an exasperated noise. "Yeah, sure, sometimes my job is fun, but it's going nowhere, just like my dating life. I gave up traveling, playing music with my band, and a relationship with someone I really cared about to stay here. That was my dream for so long and I just…gave it up on a whim." She stopped and frowned, biting down on her lower lip for a second before speaking again. "It feels more and more like that was the wrong choice."

Gabe sighed and shook his head. "It wasn't. I'm sure of it. I know you are, too, when you're not upset about a bad date. Besides, Alex is coming next week, so you have to stay and meet her."

"Ugh, fine. I'll stay until Alex gets here but after that I'm leaving for sure."

"Whatever you say, Steph. We both know you actually like it here." Gabe smiled when Steph rolled her eyes and tilted his head toward the waffle irons. "I bet a waffle would make you feel better."

Steph let out a slow exhale before she nodded. "I still think you're wrong, but I won't say no to a waffle."

"Yes!" Gabe walked over to lift the top of one of the irons, releasing a stream of smoke that made him cough as he waved it away. "This one is burnt to shit, so this waffle isn't gonna make you feel better. But I'm gonna make you another one that will, just hold on."

The memory fell away and Alex opened each of the irons, moving the waffles onto their plates before turning around to set them on the table. She sat down without looking at Steph, picking up her fork and gripping it tightly.

Steph ducked her head to look at Alex's face. "What's wrong?"

Alex sighed, keeping her eyes down as she tapped her fingernails against the tabletop. "Are you…are you sure you want to stay in Haven Springs? With me?"

Steph smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I am." Her face fell when Alex still didn't look up. "Dude, do you not believe me?"

"No, it's not that, it's just…" Alex frowned down at her waffle as she picked at it with her fork. "You were so excited about leaving to play music again. About seeing new places, meeting new people. You can't do any of that if you stay here with me. And you don't even really like it here."

Steph leaned over the table, covering Alex's fidgeting hand with her own. "It's worth staying in Haven Springs if you're here."

Alex's frown deepened and she had to resist the urge to pull her hand away from Steph's. "Is it though? I'm not worth giving up on your dream, Steph. That's not fair to you."

There was a pause and Steph looked down at their hands, gently running her fingers over Alex's knuckles as a dim purple aura flickered around her.

Can't she tell how I feel? Or is it not as obvious as I think it is? Or does she not trust it for some reason?

I've never been good at this. I was hoping we could skip the part where I can't find the right words because she could just feel how I feel, but I guess not.

What can I say to make her understand that she means everything to me?

Oh god, what if I say the wrong thing and mess this up?

Ugh, Steph, figure it out, you can't leave her waiting like this. Just start talking and hopefully it'll come to you.

"Alex," Steph said softly. "Can you look at me?" She waited to speak again until Alex met her eyes. "I've never really been sure if I liked living in Haven Springs. It always felt like there was a piece missing. I wanted to go looking for that piece, but I didn't know where else to go, so I just stayed."

Steph hesitated, a small smile playing across her face as her purple aura trembled around her. "But after I met you, I figured it out." She silently held Alex's gaze for a few seconds, her aura slowly fading before sending out a burst of golden joy that sent both of their heads spinning. "I didn't need to find a place to call home, I needed to find a person. And that person is you. You worked so hard to build a home here and I know you haven't had that for a long time. So, if you want to stay here, then I do, too. Anywhere I'm with you is my home." Steph's smile faded slightly when Alex looked away again. "Can't you tell that's how I feel?"

"I can, it just—" Alex stopped when her voice started to waver. "It doesn't make sense. How could you give that all up for me?"

Steph blinked at Alex, disbelief flashing across her face before she leaned forward and grabbed Alex's hand with both of her own. "Because you're amazing, Alex. You figured out what really happened to Gabe, survived being shot and trapped in a mine—which was really stressful, by the way, please don't ever do that again—and helped the whole town see how crooked Jed and Typhon were. You took down the giant corporation that's been running this town for years.

"But you were amazing before that, too. You had such a shitty childhood, and your power only ever made things worse. But once you had a choice about how to use it, you still chose to use it to help people. And even while you were grieving for Gabe, you still tried to help the people he cared about feel better. You're the most amazing person I've ever met and, honestly, sometimes I…" Steph stopped, looking down at their hands as her voice grew quiet. "With everything you've done, sometimes I wonder why you want to be with me."

Alex watched her for a moment, the look on Steph's face making her chest ache. She stood up and tugged gently on Steph's hand. "Come here," she said gently.

Steph gave her a confused look but stood and let Alex pull her into a hug.

Alex wrapped her arms around Steph, holding her as close as she could. "I'm with you because you know when I need you with me, even if I don't yet. You always know exactly what to say exactly when I need to hear it. You know yourself so well and you're proud of who you are. You love all of your hobbies, even the ones other people might think are nerdy, and you love sharing them with the people you care about. And you go out of your way to make sure everyone around you is okay, even when it's hard. I mean, you spent a ton of time putting together a LARP and roped in half the town just to make Ethan feel better for a few hours." She pulled back from the hug, reaching up to brush some of Steph's hair behind her ear. "And you do all of that without any powers to help you. You're the most amazing person I've ever met."

Steph laughed softly as a blush rose on her cheeks. She pulled Alex even closer, tilting her head down until their foreheads met. "I've…never had anyone gush about me like that before."

Alex grinned. "How did it feel?"

Steph moved her hands to Alex's face and leaned down to kiss her. "Pretty amazing," she said, letting out another breathy laugh before Alex kissed her again.

Alex put an arm around Steph's shoulders, pulling her down to deepen their kiss. She slid her free hand down Steph's side, resting it on the waistband of her jeans before slipping her fingers under Steph's shirt.

"Alex, wait." Steph covered Alex's hand with her own and took half a step back. "Before we keep going, I just…I hope you already know this, but I want to say it. I know you've been with people who haven't treated you well and I never want you to feel like that with me. We don't ever have to do anything you don't want to do. And I don't want you to go along with something because you think I want it. It has to be something that both of us want one hundred percent."

Alex gave Steph a soft smile as she squeezed her hand. "I really appreciate you saying that." She closed the distance between them, resting her hands on Steph's waist again. "And right now, I'm one hundred percent sure I want to make out with my girlfriend."

Steph smiled and let out a breathy laugh. "Your…girlfriend?"

Alex gave her a confused look. "Yes? Steph, we've been dating for almost a month."

"Yeah, but we hadn't, like, officially said it yet."

"Okay, well, is it 'official' enough that I can keep kissing you, or do we need to keep talking about it?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely official enough for that," Steph said, grinning as Alex pulled her in for another kiss.