Casey remembered where the coffee shop was, but she wanted Alex to lead the way. Alex was nervous and Casey thought letting her lead might give her some confidence. Just by looking at Alex, Casey assumed she was confident, but she had no idea why Alex was acting the way she was. Was she trying to make Casey feel in control? Was this her technique when it came to dating? Was Abbie the smooth-talker and Alex the one who let her women take the lead? No, she's not just going to have sex with me the way Abbie is with Serena.

They took the subway back to Harvard Square, which was an experience in and of itself for Casey. She had never done anything like that while she lived in Tucson and she would have been confused if not for Alex explaining the subway system to her.

"It's so much cheaper than taking a cab, which is important," Alex told her. "You're a law school student and I have a feeling you're just as broke as I am. Taking the subway will save you so much money."

"How do I know which one to take?" Casey asked, hoping she didn't sound like a tourist in her new city.

Alex just smiled at her. "Take Ashmont or Braintree if you want to get into the city. Alewife will take you back to campus or deeper into Cambridge. That's just the red line, which is what I consider the main artery. I'll explain the green line, orange line, blue line, and silver line to you some other time."

"Don't want to overwhelm me?"

"Exactly," Alex responded. "I've lived here since I was 18, so I practically have the map memorized, but when I was new to the city I got lost so many times."

"I won't get lost."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I have you now," Casey said as she laced her fingers with Alex's. She waited for a reaction from Alex, but she still had that same smile on her face. It had been a little over two hours since they had become acquainted, but Casey already knew she could fall in love with that smile.

With her fingers still intertwined with Casey's, Alex made her way over to the coffee shop. It was filled with graduate students and undergraduates studying and meeting with new friends and old friends alike. All of the tables were occupied, but Alex didn't mind. She ordered two coffees to go and asked Casey if she would object to sitting outside. Alex would have preferred to sit inside, but she soon realized that sitting outside would be so much more intimate.

All of the outside tables were occupied as well, so Alex suggested that they sit on a nearby bench. The bench was in a more secluded area, which made Alex start to feel uneasy. She wanted to kiss Casey more than she had ever wanted to kiss anybody before, but she worried about her thinking she was putting the moves on her too soon.

"I'm sorry about us having to sit out here," Alex told her once they were seated on the bench.

"I'm not," Casey responded. "I've been waiting almost two hours to be alone with you."

"How's your coffee?" Alex asked, changing the subject.

"Not bad," Casey said hesitantly. "Actually, it's a little sweet."

"I put too much sugar, didn't I?" Alex said and nearly smacked her own forehead. "I knew I shouldn't have put so much sugar."

"Alex, it's okay," Casey insisted. "It's not that big of a deal. You need to learn how to relax."

"I'm usually not like this," Alex admitted. "It's just that I've never been on a date before—not that this is a date—unless you want it to be. Do you want it to be? Oh, Alex, just shut up. Shut up before you scare her away."

"You're not scaring me away," Casey said and started laughing.

"I said that out loud?"

Casey nodded and squeezed Alex's hand. "How are you going to become a lawyer when you lose your composure around a first-year law student?"

"I'll be fine," Alex insisted. "I don't think anyone I ever encounter in a courtroom will be as cute as you are."

"You think I'm cute?"

"I think you're gorgeous," Alex said and kissed her on the cheek.

"And she actually makes a move," Casey teased.

"Keep that up and a kiss on the cheek is all you'll be getting tonight."

Casey kept up her playful tone. "She makes a move and she's becoming bold?"

She knew Casey was just teasing, but there was something about her tone of voice that Alex found irresistible. By teasing her, she was actually putting Alex at ease, which is something that not too many people have accomplished.

She wants me to kiss her, Alex thought. She's being so playful right now.

Alex wasn't exactly certain that Casey wanted her to kiss her, but she decided it was time to lose her inhibitions. Before she could lose her nerve, she placed one hand on the back of Casey's neck and leaned in to kiss her. Their lips met for less than ten seconds, but it was long enough for Alex to know she would never grow tired of kissing this woman.

"Where did you learn how to kiss like that?" Casey asked.

"I was just doing what felt right with you," Alex responded.

Casey winked at her. "What else do you feel like doing with me?"

"This," Alex said and kissed her again.

"Your lipstick smudged on me," Casey blurted out.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, don't be sorry," Casey said as she wrapped her arms around Alex. "It was just my goal to find out if your lipstick smudged."

"So you've been wanting to kiss me this whole time?"

"Since the moment I saw you," Casey admitted. "Just so you know, it was even better than I had imagined."

Not too long after they kissed, Alex walked Casey to her dorm and then made the short trek back to her apartment. She wanted to spin around like a little girl, she wanted to shout out her feelings to the entire world, and she even wanted to tell Abbie all of the details although she knew Abbie would probably think of it as nothing but child's play.

Alex was reluctant to walk into her apartment for fear of seeing Abbie having sex with Serena on one of the many surfaces in their apartment. When she opened the door, she saw that all of the lights were off and there wasn't so much as a peep being made.

"Abbie?" She called out.

"I'm in the room," Abbie responded.

"Are you decent?"

"As decent as you've ever seen me."

Alex turned on their bedroom light and saw her best friend sitting up and wearing her pajamas. She knew Abbie never asked girls to spend the night, but Alex felt as if it was still a little too early for Serena to be gone.

"Where's Serena?"

"She left," Abbie said glumly.

"Already?"

"I had performance anxiety," Abbie admitted.

"Can lesbians get performance anxiety?" Alex asked.

"I wasn't wet, Alex," Abbie said, frustrated. "She's sexy and she was doing everything that usually turns me on, but nothing was happening down there. While we were making out, it dawned on me that she's my student and I can't be having sex with her. If she were to tell someone, I could lose my job and be completely screwed over. Even though I didn't have sex with her, I'm still screwed. She could still tell someone. This never happens to me, Alex. What if she tells someone that I'm bad in bed and word gets around?"

Alex sat down on the bed next to her and gave Abbie a hug. She wasn't used to seeing her like this and she was willing to do anything to make it better. "Here's a radical thought," Alex began saying. "What if she really likes you? Have you ever thought about liking a woman and having an actual relationship with one?"

"I'm so fucked! Absolutely fucked!" Abbie said angrily. "And not in the way I usually am."

At that point, there was no consoling Abbie. This was something she'd have to learn on her own. After listening to Abbie rant, Alex got into her own bed and fell asleep thinking about what she had just experienced with Casey.