Chasing Memories

[15] Admitted

    "So what if I did? You were my best friend, Ellie. I could never forget you, even if I really tried." With her jaw hung open, Cadence pinched the bridge of her nose, venting her surprise through a series of long sighs. A choked sob announced the return of her voice. "When shit got hard, like when Faith and Oli gave me up, do you know what I thought about? When Mel ditched me suddenly without a word, do you know what I wished for?"

    "Cade..."

    "You, Ellie. I wanted my best friend back more than anything." Cadence's posture slumped on the spot, overburdened by the thoughts racing through her head. "That's why running into you so suddenly screwed me right the hell up. I was pissed at you, sure, but I was more pissed at myself for being so damn psyched to see you."

    The wind picked up around them, and Elise closed her hands around her bare arms. "I was so giddy about running into you too, Cade. Maybe I was a little too excited, because I didn't expect you to get mad and drive off. I guess I should've seen it coming."

    Cadence clicked her tongue. "And I should've handled it better, so that makes us both dumb kids." Her forearm knocked against Elise's pale knuckles, and she shivered on the spot as if struck by a rogue spark. "Ellie, you're freezing."

    Squeezing her arms, Elise shrugged and tried to ignore the stinging bites the wind left on her skin. "Things were pretty crazy inside the hospital. After they took you and Florence to assess her, I figured I needed to step outside and have a breather."

    "Taking 'chilling out' a little too literally, don't you think?" Cadence asked as she ran her fingers along the lines of her friend's arm. Every hair on Elise's skin stood to attention, eager to bask in Cadence's touch before its peers. With a shake of her head, Cadence slid her arms free of her jacket and held it out towards Elise. "Here. Don't worry, I do actually wash it...now and then."

    Elise hesitated, then wrapped the jacket around her shoulders. Infused with Cadence's heat, it chased the ice out of her joints and enveloped her extremities in the close, gentle buzz of its brimming energy. The garment was heavier than anything in Elise's usual outfits, yet the way its fabric fluttered close to her sides left her on the verge of sailing away with the next strong breeze. "Thanks," she said as the last of her chills melted away. "I didn't realise how cold it was."

    Something inscrutable passed through Cadence's eyes, and a crack of a smile sprouted on her lips. "Look at you, all ready to thrash the fuck out!" As she grinned, she slipped her beanie onto Elise's head and fought to suppress a violent shiver. "Bet Robin would be sad he's missing out on this, right? He'd so lose his mind for punk rock Ellie."

    "You're ridiculous," Elise groaned, exaggerating her exhaustion to disguise her broadening smile. Shivers trembled through Cadence's body, yoking Elise by her heartstrings to her friend's side to pause just before their elbows touched. The slightest sigh from her friend was enough to push her further, melting into the warmth offered by Cadence's familiar heartbeat. "And there's nobody else I'd rather sit with while freezing in the middle of nowhere."

    "You know, we don't have to be freezing our butts off," Cadence said as she looped her arm around Elise's shoulder. "There's nothing left for us to do here. We can go home any time you want."

    For anybody else at any other time, Elise would have bundled herself into the car and clung to its promise of future heat across whatever distance they needed to cross. Yet, nestled in the impenetrable shield of her friend's jacket and numb from the improvised seating, she conceded that no potential comfort could lure her away. There was all the peace she needed in Cadence's close embrace under the flawless stars.

    Cadence looked down, a twinkling gleam in her eye. "What do you want to do, Ellie?"

    Curiosity, exhaustion, and simple opportunity wove together into a single impulse that stirred through Elise's blood. Deafened by her pounding pulse, she locked her gaze on Cadence's shining eyes, swept the locks from her red-hot cheek, and crossed the final sliver of space to take her lips in a long-awaited kiss.

    The first whisper of contact banished the knots from Elise's stomach. Diving into Cadence's hot, wild waters washed the shivers out of Elise's blood, replacing them with the thrilling rush of newfound freedom. Subtle notes of sweet mint unfurled in her every breath, and the sharp tang of Cadence's cloud-soft lips raced along her nerves. Slowly, tentatively, Elise's weight melted away, leaving her anchored in her friend's safe harbour where her heart yearned to stay.

    As Elise willed herself away, a look of distilled shock greeted her on Cadence's face. "Jeez," Cadence muttered, blinking away the surprise in her eyes. "I didn't see that coming. You don't hold back, Ellie."

Elise's heart crashed through the base of her chest. "Oh no. Oh gosh, I'm sorry. You're right. We just met up again after ten whole years. How could I even think that was a good idea? I shouldn't have gotten so carried away. I feel like such an idiot."

    "No, I don't mean the kiss." With a smile, Cadence tucked a wing of stray hairs behind Elise's ear. Her hand fell on Elise's shoulder, slipping inside the jacket to track up the burning skin of Elise's arm. "I'm talking about this."

    "What? What are you on about?" Elise asked, yet her voice soon fell flat as Cadence's fingers reached her wrist. Without her knowledge, Elise's hand had slipped down Cadence's face and neck, her fingers coming to rest dipped beneath the low neckline of her top. The smooth curves of Cadence's bare skin peeked out from below her necklace, mere millimetres from Elise's touch. "Oh. Oh my word. Cade, I'm so –"

    A light pressure stopped Elise's words, the feel of Cadence's finger sealing her lips without a fight. "If you apologise one more time, I'm taking my jacket and hat back," she said with an impish grin, snatching up Elise's wandering hand from her chest and casting it over her shoulder. "You're fine. If I didn't want you touching me, you'd have known about it by now."

    "So, we're..." With her arms hanging around Cadence's neck, Elise pulled close to stop herself floating away from the light, gentle brush of the girl's fingers down her back. A heady heat passed between Cadence's lips with every breath, flooding Elise's mind with thoughts of closing the space between them all over again. "Are we okay?"

    Cadence let out a small laugh and ran her nails down Elise's back. "You're so cute. Yes, Ellie, we're okay." She leaned forward, brushing her lips against Elise's cheek. "Unless there's anything else you want to get out of your system."

    Bathing in the light of Cadence's glowing eyes, Elise barely retained enough substance to speak before melting into the girl's chest. "So...what now?"

    "Up to you," Cadence said as she pinned Elise to the spot with a fiendish wink. Her hands traced their way down Elise's spine, stopping a hair above the dip in her back. "Your place or mine?"

    Elise collected herself, the pause stemming more from nerves than uncertainty. She locked eyes with Cadence and bit her lip. "Yours, I think."

    Cadence cracked a smile. "Escaping Roomie, huh? Real kinky, killer."