Yeah, No, Yeah, Absolutely

12:00 AM

The living room is dim, lit only by the soft, blue glow of a muted TV playing a rerun they've seen a thousand times but never actually watched. The sliding door to the backyard is cracked open, letting in warm, humid air and the distant sounds of summer--crickets, a dog barking, the occasional passing car. Rae sits cross-legged on the floor, one bare leg slowly fanning back and forth. She's in an oversized tank top, hair twisted up, a half-melted popsicle hanging from her fingers.

Jules is stretched across the couch, one arm flopped over her eyes, the other lazily scrolling through her phone. She's not dressed so much as draped in fabric--shorts, maybe. Or underwear. It's hard to tell and no one's asking.

"It's too hot to sleep," Rae mutters, licking at the melting cherry stripe before it drips on her thigh.

"It's too hot to think." Jules doesn't move.

They're not talking about the heat.

There's a quiet beat. Not awkward, not charged. Just full. Like the night's holding its breath.

"You remember that summer in Santa Cruz?" Jules finally asks.

"With the dune buggy and the watermelon moonshine?" Rae smirks. "God, yeah. We almost drowned in the ocean and I got sunburned on one boob."

They laugh, soft and easy.

---

12:03 AM.

The air conditioner rumbles in the window like an old man muttering complaints under his breath. It's trying. God bless it, it's trying. But the room is still a sauna, the kind that clings to your skin like a jealous ex.

Rae peels her thighs apart with a wince and a soft, "Jesus, I'm sticking to myself." She fans the collar of her tank top, exposing a sliver of sweat-glossed chest before giving up and flopping backward onto the rug.

The TV plays I Love Lucy--some rerun with Lucy shoving chocolates in her mouth on an assembly line--but the sound's off. It's not about watching, it's just... there. Like a lighthouse in a heatwave sea.

Jules shifts on the couch, her bare leg sliding across the sticky leather cushion with an audible schlrrp. She groans, not from effort--just from the kind of existential exhaustion that only a summer night like this can conjure.

"Your AC is losing the war."

"It lost at 10:30." Rae closes her eyes. "Everything's damp. My thoughts are damp."

Jules sits up halfway, hair a mess, eyes heavy-lidded. "You ever notice how summer nights used to feel magical when we were younger?"

"Yeah," Rae says, cracking one eye open. "Now they just feel sweaty and vaguely apocalyptic."

They both chuckle. The kind of laugh that tumbles out when you're too tired to fake anything.

Outside, a moth flings itself against the screen door again and again. Determined. Dumb. Desperate for the light inside.

"What if we went outside?" Jules offers.

"And let the mosquitoes suck what's left of my soul? Hard pass."

"You coward."

"Proudly." Rae grins without opening her eyes.

The silence stretches again. Comfortable. Languid. The TV flickers. Lucy makes a face.

"Okay," Rae says, shifting against the floor like she's trying to escape her own skin. "I'm pulling the ripcord on this one."

She peels off her tank top, the fabric clinging like it doesn't want to let go. When it finally peels away, the air kisses her damp skin--cooler than it has any right to be, and still not cool enough. But still. It's freedom. It's release.

"Finally," Jules grins, already lifting her shirt with both hands, the hem sticking to her lower back. "I've been waiting for the go-ahead."

"You know you can get naked without me, right?" Rae says, tossing her top into the corner like it personally offended her.

"Yeah, but it's way more fun when you're here." Jules drops her shirt with a heavy, wet plop. It sounds obscene and perfect.

The air moves like molasses in the room, but it moves, and now it gets to touch them everywhere--sliding over shoulders, across bellies, between thighs. It's not cold. But it's real. It's alive.

Rae stretches out again, bare against the old rug, and lets a satisfied groan escape her chest. "Oh, that's so much better. I'm never wearing clothes again."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. Like anything would change."

They settle into their skin like it's new. Not sexy, not showy. Honest. Two bodies completely unbothered. Comfortable. Loose. The flicker of the TV dances across their bare limbs, shadows rippling like water. A breeze from the struggling AC glides over them like a lazy river, and they exhale in time.

"God, this is the best thing in the world," Jules murmurs, one arm flung above her head, the other tracing absentminded patterns on her thigh. "I feel like my skin's singing."

"I feel like I've been wrapped in plastic wrap for a week and someone finally cut me loose," Rae says. "I could live like this. Just us, like this, forever."

And somehow it doesn't sound like a joke.

"This reminds me," Rae says, rolling onto her side, "of that night in high school. You remember?"

Jules' eyes slide toward her, already halfway smiling. "The dare?"

"The dare," Rae confirms, letting the word stretch like a rubber band. "God. What were we even thinking?"

"We weren't. That was kind of our whole deal back then."

They both laugh, a soft echo in the heavy summer air. The TV flickers again--Lucy stomping grapes or crying over Ricky, who knows--and the sound hums under their voices.

"It was supposed to be ten seconds," Jules says. "Just a quick streak across your lawn. Easy. But then..."

"The goddamn door," Rae finishes, groaning. "Click. Locked. My mom's stupid security thing kicked in."

"And you were yelling at it like the door had personally betrayed you."

"It did! I was butt naked, Jules!"

They break into quiet laughter again, shoulders shaking, eyes bright. For a second they're teenagers again--drenched in adrenaline, the grass cold under their feet, the night too big and the moon too close.

"I remember," Jules says more softly, "how we stopped freaking out after a while."

Rae nods. "Yeah. We just... sat there. On the porch steps. The breeze, the stars... it stopped being scary."

"It felt like we weren't supposed to be there. And also like we totally were."

The memory settles between them, warm and weightless. Like it's been waiting for years to be invited back in.

"You ever wonder if that night changed us?" Jules asks after a moment. "Like, marked the point where we stopped being just 'friends' and became--whatever the hell this is?"

Rae thinks for a moment, the hum of the AC like a heartbeat in the room. "Not then. But I think everything after did. And now... yeah. I think it started there."

Jules looks over. "So we've been naked together since we were sixteen."

"Apparently we're just really slow burns."

They laugh again. The kind of laugh that comes easy, full of air and heat and decades of knowing. And as the moment stretches--legs tangled, sweat glistening, hearts buzzing--they both know something fundamental:

"We've been naked together since we were sixteen," Jules says, a lazy grin spreading across her face.

Rae chuckles, the sound soft and warm. "Did we ever stop?"

"Yeah, right after it. We were both like, 'That was amazing, but I can't say shit, 'cause that's too gay.'"

"That lasted for, what, three months?"

"Three long, stupid months."

A comfortable silence settles between them, filled with the hum of the air conditioner and the distant chirping of crickets.

"Do you remember what broke it?" Jules asks, turning her head slightly to look at Rae.

Rae smirks. "Wine."

"Ah yes, that fruity bitch."

They both laugh, the sound mingling with the warm night air.

"I never liked wearing clothes anyway," Rae says, stretching her arms above her head. "It was cool to share that with someone finally."

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm glad you kinda showed me the way."

Rae feigns mock indignation. "Well. Don't frame it like I corrupted you."

"No, no. Of course not--well, I mean..."

"How dare you!" Rae exclaims, playfully swatting at Jules.

"Hey, the important thing is you got me in the end."

They both smile, the kind of smile that speaks of shared history and unspoken understanding.

"You ever think about that day?" Jules asks, her voice quieter now.

"What about it?"

"Like, we learned it was better to just admit stuff we liked right out of the gate rather than keep it inside? Like we were afraid of a bunch of stuff, but we didn't have to be afraid of each other's reactions to stuff?"

Rae nods slowly. "Yeah, like every day. Every day I think about it."

" Apparently we just like really slow Burns"

1:06 AM

"Jesus, what is this?" Rae says, blinking slowly at the screen. "Who the hell wakes up at 1am and says, 'You know what I need? Socks that double as cookware.'"

"You're watching history in the making," Jules replies, swirling her wine lazily. "This is the pinnacle of modern marketing. You'll be crying when you see that ladder again tomorrow and didn't call in time for the bonus screwdriver set."

Rae snorts. "I miss when there was actually good stuff on late. Or, you know... bad stuff. The right kind of bad."

Jules raises an eyebrow. "You mean Skinemax."

Rae lifts her glass in salute. "Exactly. The classic 1:23 a. m. softcore hour. Terrible lighting, fake moans, someone always inexplicably washing a car. It was awful, but kind of great? Like it was great, but also awful?"

"God, yeah," Jules sighs, eyes distant. "Those ridiculous plots. 'I'm just a plumber,' like... girl, no you're not. You're an actress named Misty who's been trapped in a ficus-covered hotel room for six hours."

They both burst out laughing.

"And remember the anxiety?" Rae grins. "Like, if you so much as bumped the volume up a notch, your parents would materialize out of the wall like ghosts."

"I used to watch through a blanket like it was gonna protect me from sin," Jules says, mockingly clutching her chest. "Like, oh no, I saw a nipple! Guess I'm going to hell now."

"You'd watch it though a blanket, but not even think about shutting it off."

"Of course not, I mean, I've already SEEN a nipple, I'm already going to hell, might as well see the rest of the boob"

"Is it weird to miss those? I MISS those"

"I'm sure we can find one in the internet somewhere,"

"Well sure, but it's not the same. Like If I'm online, I'm just gonna look up ACTUAL porn. No, the glory of cable porn came in with the discovery. Like a horny Christmas present."

"... Is it weird I know exactly what you're talking about?"

"No, because you were just as bad as me"

"I used to find the ones that weren't even in English."

" 'Latin lover? '"

"LATIN LOVER, OH MY GOD, there's no way you remember that too!"

"I couldn't understand a damn word anyone was saying during the plot, but you don't kneed to speak Spanish to know "Fuck me harder"

They laugh and sip and giggle to themselves.

"That's so crazy. It was like SO taboo when we were kids, but now it's like, almost quant."

"I miss that. I miss the discovery."

"Tell you what, when you fall asleep on the couch like you inevitably will,. I'll Chromecast porn on the tv, so you can wake up to it like you fell asleep on the wrong channel."

"Like I know you're joking, but that's actually kinda sweet"

"Who's joking?"

Jules grins and tops off both their glasses, pouring a little sloppier than before. The wine splashes in with a friendly glug, like even the bottle knows what kind of night this is turning into.

"Okay but," Rae says, swirling her wine, "remember that one with the vampire dentist?"

Jules nearly chokes. "OH MY GOD. He only operated at night! Because sunlight gave him cavities or something!"

"And he had to 'seduce' every patient to access their... canines."

"You watched way too many of those."

"No, we watched way too many of those," Rae corrects, pointing her glass at her like it's the gavel in a very horny courtroom.

"God," Jules groans through a laugh, "we were such pervs."

"We were curious! There's a difference."

"Is there?" Jules lifts a brow. "You tried to record that vampire dentist on a VHS. You labeled it Lion King 2."

Rae gasps. "And my little cousin found it and was like, 'This isn't Simba!'"

They both lose it again, helpless in the couch cushions. The air's still thick and sticky, but the wine has them flushed enough that it doesn't matter. The sweat on their skin feels more like glitter than grit now--earned, shared, sacred.

There's a pause. Not awkward, just full. A kind of quiet exhale of nostalgia, memory, and this rare bubble of time that feels suspended from reality.

"I really do miss that," Rae says again, softer this time. "The discovery. The tension. The 'is this allowed?' of it all. Everything's so... available now."

"Yeah," Jules nods, thoughtful. "Back then it felt like every little thing you found was yours. Like no one else could've seen it the way you did. Even if it was just a dumb softcore scene with a vampire and a dental fetish."

"Especially that one," Rae murmurs with mock reverence.

"When I inevitably pass out," Jules smirks, "please pick something dramatic. I want soft piano, backlit hair, someone removing a satin robe in slow motion--none of that amateur iPhone stuff."

"Say no more," Rae grins. "It'll be vintage. Elegant. Maybe even... French."

"Ooh la la."

They raise their glasses again. Not so much to toast, but to honor the weird, specific, beautiful teenage weirdos they once were. The ones who snuck downstairs to catch ten blurry minutes of Skinemax and, somehow, found themselves along the way.

2:14 AM

The TV's still on, but it's gone full fever dream now--some kind of super-absorbent mop commercial with a man way too enthusiastic about liquid. The AC hums, half-defeated, and the ceiling fan clicks like it's counting down to its own death. A bead of sweat traces Jules' temple, but she doesn't bother wiping it.

They've melted into the couch, skin against skin, draped in the lazy sprawl of people who've abandoned posture entirely. Rae's head is tipped back over the armrest, one arm flopped over her stomach, eyes barely open.

"Hey," she mumbles, "if you had to fight one of the Golden Girls... like actually throw hands... which one?"

Jules makes a slow, croaky noise, somewhere between a snort and a groan. "What kind of question is that?"

"An important one."

"Okay. Dorothy. Hands down."

"Wrong." Rae flicks her foot weakly in protest. "It's Sophia. Tiny, fast, mean. Like a trash gremlin with arthritis."

"I could take Sophia."

**"She'd claw your eyes out and walk away with your man."

"Joke's on her,"** Jules yawns, "I am the man."

They both giggle, the kind of soft, stupid giggle that's only ever born after midnight, when the brain's packed up and gone home for the day.

Silence again, save for the mop guy yelling about maximum absorption. Rae watches the light flicker across Jules' collarbone, her breathing slow and deep now.

"Did you ever... think it'd be like this?" she asks, her voice barely audible. "Us. Here."

Jules doesn't answer right away. Just blinks slow, eyes fixed on the ceiling fan's hypnotic spin.

"Not exactly," she says finally. " i thought we'd be living in a van solving mysteries"

"Me neither."

Another beat. Then:

"What's something you never told me?" Rae asks.

Jules shifts, like she wants to say "too tired," but instead whispers:

"That time in junior year, when you had your first real heartbreak? I skipped a date to stay up on the phone with you. Told the girl my mom had the flu."

Rae blinks, surprised. "You never said that."

"I didn't want you to feel like a burden."

Rae rolls her head to the side, looking at her. "I-well... Thank you. That night really helped me through some stuff. Why didn't you tell me before now."

Jules gives a sleepy, crooked smile. "Yeah, but back then... I didn't know if I was allowed to love you that much."

The air holds that. A weightless truth, suspended and gentle.

Rae nudges her bare foot under Jules' leg. "You were. You always were."

A small exhale. Jules leans her head toward Rae's shoulder, just a little.

"Your turn," she mutters. "Tell me a secret before I pass out and start drooling on you."

"Hmm," Rae hums. Then, slow and deliberate: "I always hated every girl you dated."

Jules lets out a soft, sleepy laugh. "Even Megan with the motorcycle?"

"Especially Megan with the motorcycle."

They both go quiet again, the weight of old feelings landing softly in the room, like dust.

"You gonna drool on me or what?" Rae murmurs after a while.

"I make no promises," Jules replies, her voice already drifting.

The room is nearly asleep. Not them, not quite, but the room. The light from the TV stutters low and blue, half-heartedly illuminating the curves of bare legs draped over each other. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barks once and then thinks better of it.

Jules, face smushed half into a couch cushion, voice muffled and thick with sleep, goes,

"Who's the craziest person you've ever had a sex dream about?"

Rae stills. Just a moment. Just the tiniest, infinitesimal shift in her breathing. The real answer is blistering at the back of her throat--you--but saying that right now would feel too naked, too honest. Not yet. Not here. Not when everything feels so fragile and perfect. So she pivots.

"Okay, you're not allowed to judge me."

"That means I'm definitely gonna judge you."

"Fine. You remember Gargoyles?"

Jules cracks one eye open. "You did not just say Goliath."

Rae covers her face with both hands. "I WAS A LONELY, CONFUSED CHILD."

"No, no, I respect it," Jules says, grinning now. "That voice? The wings? He could get it."

"It wasn't even that weird of a dream, I just--he was there, I was there, and we were... flying. But also somehow fucking. It made sense at the time."

"You're not alone. There's a whole Tumblr tag for that, I'm sure."

"Ugh, shut up." Rae smacks a pillow weakly in Jules' general direction, but it's more of a soft suggestion than an actual attack.

Jules laughs, that slow, sticky kind of laugh that rolls out of her like molasses. "Okay, I'm gonna ask you a question, and you HAVE to answer honestly."

Rae groans. "When do I ever not?" Her voice is soft, caught between sleep and curiosity.

"Did you cum?"

"What?" Rae props herself up slightly, blinking through the wine haze.

"To Goliath. Did you ever cum?" Jules is grinning now, devilish and unrelenting, eyes sparkling with that chaotic fire only she can carry at 2:59 a. m.

Rae throws her head back into the pillow like she's trying to sink through the couch and into the earth. "I demand to live this down immediately."

"If you don't answer, I'm going to assume yeeees."

A long pause. A surrender. Then, with the grave finality of someone signing their own confession:

"Then... then you would have the correct answer."

Jules sits bolt upright. "SHUT UP!" She's practically wheezing with laughter now.

Rae covers her face with both hands. "Even worse, I was like... twenty. I'd just discovered fanfic. And... rule 34."

"So you-

"Three times." Rae says, flat and unashamed now, like she's ripping off a Band-Aid with pride. "If this leaves the room, I will kill you in your sleep."

Jules gasps. "THREE?! Rae! That is a relationship. That is commitment. That is not a fling."

"He had WINGS, Jules. He glided. There was nothing casual about it."

They're both cackling now, bodies vibrating with the kind of laughter that feels like it could tip into tears if you let it. No shame. No filters. Just two naked, wine-soft friends from way back sharing dumb secrets under the low glow of a television stuck on a channel that forgot to stop broadcasting.

When the laughter fades, there's a long silence. Comfortable.

Then Jules, voice soft now, not teasing:

" I love this."

Rae turns her head. "What, my weird horny confessions?"

"No, well yes, but" Jules says. "This. You. Me. Now. Like this."

And Rae, without thinking, whispers:

"Yeah. Me too."

3:24 AM

The room has settled into that strange kind of stillness that only exists in the dead of night--when the world feels forgotten. The fan clicks softly in its corner, the hum of the old air conditioner gasping through the room like it's trying to stay alive. Their skin is warm, slick. Every inch of them feels overexposed and somehow not enough.

They're lying close, but not quite touching. Eyes fluttering open and closed between lazy conversation and the gravitational pull of sleep.

Rae shifts slightly, hand sliding across her stomach like she's trying to swat away a fly, but the motion lingers--fingertips slowing, tracing patterns on damp skin.

Jules catches it, not with her eyes, but with the kind of intuitive awareness that comes from decades of knowing someone's every move.

And then Jules shifts too--like it's a dance they've done before in dreams. One hand tucked beneath the blanket, slow and thoughtless, like scratching an itch she doesn't realize she's been feeling all night.

Neither of them says anything.

They don't need to.

It's not performative. It's not about the other, not yet. It's that heat-heavy, wine-slow moment of permission. Of surrendering to their bodies not out of lust, but out of comfort. Trust. The kind that says: You've seen all of me, and I still want you to see more.

The air thickens.

They can hear each other. Not loud, not obscene--but the shift in breath, the barely-there sounds. The catch of a moan not quite swallowed down.

Is it sweat?

Or--

It doesn't matter.

"Are you...?" Jules asks.

"Yeah, yeah I think so. Is that...?

"Yeah, no, yeah, absolutely.

"Are you...?" Rae asks.

"Yeah, I think so too"

Rae's hand stutters for just a moment, like she might stop, but then she doesn't. It's already too late to pull away.

Her chest is tight, and every breath feels like it could break her open if she lets it. But she doesn't know how to stop. How could she? It's a whisper now, barely a whisper, but still a part of her: I shouldn't be doing this... but god, it feels so fucking good.

The air is thick. Maybe it's the sweat, maybe it's the tension, but something has changed between them, and it's the only thing she can feel. It's all-encompassing, but... it's almost too hard to name.

"Jules..." she whispers, a shaky laugh following her breath. "Are we... Are we crazy for this?"

Jules's breath catches just before she speaks. She's trying to hold on to the normal, but it slips with every stroke, every tightening of her thighs. Her body is betraying her, and it's thrilling and terrifying at the same time. She can feel her own heart racing, pulse thumping between her legs.

She laughs too, but it's breathy, desperate. "You think?"

"Shit... it's just... I don't want to... is this gonnaake things weird?" Rae says between shallow pants, and her eyes stay locked on the ceiling, trying to remember how to breathe.

Jules swallows hard, her own hand moving as if it's an instinct, a reflex. "I don't know. I just... I don't care. I don't care right now. Just... just don't stop, don't fucking stop" she says, voice getting raspier, her face flushed.

Rae shifts slightly, her body betraying her as she presses herself a little closer to the edge. She doesn't want to stop either. But... she should, shouldn't she? There's no way this doesn't mean something.

The confusion settles into a knot in her chest, but it's quickly overtaken by the wave of pleasure building again, and she can't think about anything except that. God, it feels too fucking good to think about anything else.

"You feel that?" Rae asks, her voice barely above a whisper now, like she's worried the moment will shatter if they speak too loudly.

"I do," Jules answers, her voice trembling. She can barely focus, but she can hear Rae's breathing, the way it's becoming shallow, the way it matches hers.

And it's almost laughable. The way they both want to say, What the hell are we doing? but it's drowned out by the pleasure that's building between them. Every sound, every sigh feels like a confession, even if they're not ready to acknowledge it.

But neither of them can pull away, not now, not when it feels like they're teetering on the edge of something new.

The tension snaps when Rae moans softly,

"Oh god. I'm gonna... I gonna"

The words lost I'm her throat as they're replaced by a soft, low moan, one that's not loud or dramatic, just a small sound of release. But it's all the confirmation Jules needs.

"Oh fuck. I'm cumming, I'm cumming"

Her own climax hits just seconds after, body trembling, heart racing, pulse pounding in time with the air conditioner's soft hum in the background.

They both breathe heavily. The silence is thick with the aftershocks of their release.

"Did... did we just do that?" Rae finally asks, as she speaks, her hand slows, but doesn't stop, already feeling embarrassed. But it's impossible to stop. How could she?

Jules doesn't answer right away. She's still breathing too hard, still flushed, but she can't ignore the hum that settles in her chest. It's not just physical. It's emotional, too. The space between them is heavy, but the honesty is palpable now.

"I think... I think we just did," Jules says slowly, and her voice sounds almost amused despite herself. "But you know what? I don't... I don't hate it."

Rae smiles a little, the awkwardness slipping into something more genuine. "Me neither," she admits, letting out a breath, her body still humming from the aftereffects. "I didn't think I could... feel this with you. Not... not like this."

"Yeah," Jules agrees, stretching her arm out, still not quite touching Rae, but her fingers hovering close. "Me neither."

They don't talk about it more. The air is still heavy, but it's no longer awkward in the same way. It's different, but it feels... like it fits.

They lie there together for a while, letting the heat settle into the small space between them, the sound of their breathing and the low hum of the TV the only things they can focus on now.

8:00 AM

As the sunlight seeps through the blinds, casting slanted beams across the room, the weight of the previous night lingers. The air, once thick with heat, feels strangely lighter now, as if the space around them has shifted somehow. It's almost too quiet for the kind of vulnerability that hangs between them. But they don't need words to know that something has changed.

Rae turns, her body still heavy with sleep but her mind ticking, trying to piece it all together. She shifts, glancing at Jules, who's lying there, eyes closed, trying to avoid the obvious tension.

The room smells of sweat, lingering warmth, and something else -- something tender, unspoken.

Jules opens her eyes, slowly this time, and meets Rae's gaze. The weight of last night is there, in every breath, in every subtle shift of their skin. It was raw. It was freeing. It was... everything they had avoided before.

"Three months," Jules says softly, the words tumbling out like an old secret they hadn't realized was so heavy. "Three months, Rae. We were so fucking stupid."

Rae chuckles, the sound low, rough with sleep. "Yeah. We really were." She reaches for the blanket, pulling it up a little to cover them both, though neither of them has any shame left in being exposed. "That whole thing about waiting to admit it... god, we should've just... talked sooner."

Jules sits up slightly, her chest rising and falling with her deep breath. "You know what? We won't wait that long again," she says, her voice growing firmer, like she's making a promise. She turns toward Rae, her eyes sincere, as though she's daring the silence to catch up to them. "We can't. Not after... last night. I loved that. I loved being with you. No more hiding. No more pretending. I don't want to wait."

Rae nods, her heart fluttering, something warm spreading through her chest, but it's more than just desire. It's connection. It's the feeling of wanting this with her, of knowing there's no going back. She reaches for Jules's hand, her fingers brushing against hers. "Yeah, me neither," she admits, a slight smile tugging at her lips. "I loved it too. And I... I don't want to go back to pretending. I don't want to hide it. I want more of this. More of us, just... no walls. No bullshit."

Jules looks down at their hands, intertwining her fingers with Rae's, the gesture so simple, so intimate, yet it feels monumental. "So, no more waiting? No more 'oh, this is too much'?"

Rae lets out a slow exhale, as if releasing something she didn't even realize she was holding onto. "No more waiting," she says, and the certainty in her voice feels like an anchor in the sea of everything else they've just unraveled. "We do this now. No more hesitation."

For a moment, they just sit there, the weight of the world outside not mattering, their connection stronger than ever. It's as if the very air between them is thick with the understanding that everything they've shared, every conversation, every moment of shared nakedness, was building to this.

Jules leans her head back against the pillows, closing her eyes for a second as if taking it all in, savoring the weight of their words. "I'm glad we did this," she says quietly, almost to herself. "I'm glad it was you."

Rae's heart beats a little faster, her chest swelling with something like pride and tenderness. "Me too," she whispers. "It's always been you."

The silence between them is comfortable now, but filled with that unspoken promise. This, whatever it is, will never go back to what it was. They're both naked, in every sense, and they know now that there's no going back to the old way of pretending.

Rae shifts slightly, curling up next to Jules, her cheek resting on her shoulder. "So... no more hiding," she murmurs. "This is us. All of it."

Jules nods, pulling Rae closer, as if physically sealing the deal. "Yeah. All of it."

And in that quiet, half-light morning, nothing feels more certain.

As the morning settles into the kind of lazy haze that only comes after a night like theirs, they lay there, tangled in the warmth of each other and the soft sheets, neither of them wanting to break the comfortable silence. Rae stretches, her body arching in a way that makes Jules's breath catch for a moment, but she's too tired to do anything about it--just a lazy, quiet moment between them.

Jules rolls her eyes dramatically, letting out a sigh that's both exasperated and amused. "You know," she says, her voice all sleep-dusted and mischievous, "If we keep doing this, I might have to start charging you rent."

Rae snorts, her eyes flicking over to Jules with a raised brow. "Oh, you'd charge me rent? For this?" she gestures lazily to the two of them, completely exposed, still a little tangled in each other. "You're gonna start putting a price on all this?" she says, laughing softly.

Jules grins, her eyes sparkling as she brushes her hand through Rae's hair. "Well, you know, it is a lot of work. Keeping me entertained, making me laugh, getting me naked... It's exhausting."

Rae chuckles and wiggles closer, resting her head on Jules's chest again. "So you're saying this whole naked, laid-back, post-orgasm cuddling thing is a job for you now?"

"Well," Jules replies, "It's a very demanding job. Takes a lot of skill. So yeah, I'm thinking... You owe me at least two more rounds of wine and maybe some breakfast. Maybe a waffle. A very good waffle."

Rae laughs, her breath warm against Jules's skin. "You know, I think I can manage that," she says, pretending to think it over. "But only if I get some of that 'entertainment' back. I'm thinking... more naked pillow talk, maybe?"

"Oh, it's on," Jules replies, and in one smooth motion, she pulls the blanket up around them like it's a little cocoon, trapping them in their own tiny world for just a little longer.

And as the soft sunlight spills further into the room, warming their skin and the gentle intimacy of the moment, Rae looks up at Jules, catching her eyes, and for just a heartbeat, everything feels simple. "You know," Rae says, "I'm glad we finally did this."

Jules grins, her expression one of pure, playful satisfaction. "Me too. And next time... we're doing this with waffles. Naked waffles. It'll be our new thing."

Rae can't help but laugh, feeling the heat of both the morning sun and Jules's quiet, teasing presence. "Naked waffles, huh? That's what we're calling it now?"

"Hell yeah," Jules says with a wink. "And it'll be our thing forever. Just like us."

The room fills with the easy, lazy comfort of a shared smile, the kind that only comes after both laughter and something deeper. And as the world outside keeps turning, the two of them lie there, naked and completely unapologetic, with nothing but each other, waffles, and whatever comes next.

"No seriously though, Goliath!?" Jules says, shaking her head, still in shock.

Rae laughs, her eyes sparkling as she smirks at her. "Oh don't think I forgot that you never answered the question, I'll find out if it kills me."

And with that, they both dissolve into laughter again, the kind that fills every corner of the room and makes everything else feel far away.