We're not that different after all

12. But what if I want to?

Karaia's mind was a swirl of emotions. She wanted to reach out, to tell Nika how she felt, but the fear of messing things up, of losing their friendship that meant so much to her, held her back. She covered her uncertainty with light jokes and smiles. But everytime  Nika looked at her with those deep, thoughtful eyes, it made her doubt herself.

As the meal went on, the conversation dipped into comfortable silences, the kind that didn't need to be filled.

The gym was nearly empty, the soft sound of their breathing the only noise as they finished their light workout. Nika, still in her sling, watched Karaia from across the room, doing what she could while limited by her injury. Karaia was in the middle of returning a dumbbell to the rack when it slipped from her fingers.

She quickly reacted and moved her foot away as fast as she could, the weight still hitting her foot but not as hard as it would've been if she hadn't moved her foot.

"Coñaso!" (Fuck!) Karaia gasped, her hand instinctively reaching down as she dropped onto the bench.

Nika rushed over as fast as she could, her voice filled with concern, "What happened? Are you okay?"

Karaia winced, trying to downplay the sharp throbbing in her foot. "I dropped the weight... on my foot," she muttered, sucking in a breath as the pain pulsed through her.

Nika was kneeling in front of her in an instant, her good hand already reaching for Karaia's leg, gently pulling her foot into her lap. Her touch soft but firm, her focus so intent that Karaia felt a familiar flutter in her chest. The way Nika touched her, with such tenderness, brought back flashes of the night before—the stolen glances, the warmth of their bodies pressed together.

"Does it hurt?" Nika asked softly, her fingers pressed gently around Karaia's toes. Carefully avoiding the worst of the bruising.

Karaia hissed in pain but shook her head trying to steady her breathing. "I'm fine. It's just a bruise, I've had worst things happening to my feet."

But Nika didn't pull away. Her gaze was focused, eyes analyzing Karaia's foot as if she could ease the pain with her touch. The closeness between them was palpable, and Karaia's heart started racing again, not just from the pain but from the memory of Nika's lips brushing hers.

Karaia's throat felt dry, and the ache from her foot was almost drowned out by the ache in her chest. She wanted to say something, to break the silence. But the weight of their unspoken feelings hung heavy in the air.

"Last night was... different," Karaia said, the words tumbling out before she could stop them, her voice soft, unsteady. She swallowed hard, her pulse quickened when her eyes met Nika's

Nika froze, her breath hitching slightly as her hand lingered on Karaia's leg. For a moment, her gaze flickered, as if she wasn't sure whether to look at Karaia's foot or her face. "Yeah," she whispered, her voice almost unreadable, something deep and vulnerable hidden beneath the surface. "It was."

Karaia felt her heart skip a beat, she hadn't expected Nika to agree, she was sure Nika had regretted it. And now that she had, the reality of their feelings seemed too big to ignore.

"I've been thinking about it all morning," Nika admitted, her voice barely steady, her eyes locked on Karaia's. "And I... I don't know what to do with it. I know we were drunk but I really meant it when I told you I liked you."

Karaia's chest tightened, the tension from the night before crashing down on them. Her hand closed the gap between them, her fingers brushed Nika's gently, just a whisper of a touch, but it was enough to send a jolt through both of them.